Fulton County chair in talks with Atlanta mayor to transfer inmates out of county jail

External view of the former Atlanta City Detention Center located on Peachtree Street Southwest in South Downtown.

Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts said he wants to close the North Jail Annex in Alpharetta to avoid moving incarcerated individuals to facilities hundreds of miles away.

Last year, the board of commissioners voted 6-1 to spend more than half a million dollars to renovate and reopen the Alpharetta city-owned jail.

At the time, officers in North Fulton said they were spending too much time commuting down to the overcrowded main jail in Atlanta when they could be responding to calls in the community.