By Ben Robinson, Courier Staff

PICKENS — Sheriff Rick Clark rarely asks county council for anything, but Monday night was an exception.

At its meeting Monday, Clark asked council for a study to determine the county’s needs in jail facilities.

Clark said the county facilities are overcrowded, calling the jail the “biggest liability and the biggest headache” he has to deal with.

Clark said he was not requesting a new facility, but to have someone look at the situation and determine what makes the most sense financially.

“We need to study what we need,” Clark said. “We need to come together and start looking at solutions.”

Clark said he had requested $18,000 in next year’s budget for a study, but that funding may not be necessary because he had found a group that would conduct a study for free.

Clark warned that the county needed to be careful with the study.

“The thugs and thieves in this county are going to be somewhere,” Clark said. “Whether that’s inside a prison or free to prey on innocents may depend on how seriously the county takes this issue.”