The Washington County Detention Center is used by every police department in the county. Jail overcrowding is forcing Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder to limit the number of prisoners being brought into the jail.
The policy change is capping the number of inmates waiting to be booked at 30.
When the jail reaches that number, the Washington County Sheriff's Office will notify area law enforcement agencies that bookings will be prioritized based on many factors -- including the severity of the charge and criminal history.
"If there could be only 30 people in the intake, and we have someone that needs to booked in, it could keep an officer off the street, and that's our main mission, is to keep our officers on the street and to keep the people of Fayetteville safe," Sgt. Anthony Murphy with the Fayetteville Police Department said.
Helder says they are hoping to eventually expand the detention facility and add more personnel.