This picture of a sign on Chicot Road near the border of Pulaski and Saline Counties, was taken on November 22, 2007 by Renee Taggart. The sign boasts, “Warning, entering Saline County Jail Space Available.”
MySaline asked readers on Nov. 29, 2016, to help answer some questions about the sign pictured above. See below for the answers we got.
On November 22, 2007, MySaline reader Renee Taggart posted a picture of a road sign to the website. She was tickled at the boldness of the sign – seemingly saying that criminals should behave while they are in the county, or else turn right back around because there is plenty of room to detain them.
The question to residents was…
I’m pretty new to this county compared to some others, so I’m looking for longtime Saline County residents to help uncover the following mysteries:
- When did this sign show up?
- Is the sign still there at the county border between Pulaski & Saline?
- Is there more than one (for other county border entrances)?
- What person, agency or committee is responsible for this sign being printed and erected?
The following are comments MySaline received from people who were close to the project at that time:
- Shane Broadway – I think it was put up when the new jail was completed and opened. Either by the Sheriff or the JP out there, can’t remember exactly. Been a few years. Link
- Judy Stone – The jail opened in 2007 according to former Sheriff Phillip Mask and the signs were placed shortly before that. Link
- James Mashburn – It was put up right after the new jail was opened. I was at the open house. They had. The Q/C had the meeting there. Phil Mask was the Sheriff at the time. We talked about having more room for the offenders because at that time the jail was being only able to hold the worst offenders and having to let non-violent ones sign out or bailout. The jail opened before the complete Sheriffs office and the Deputies ever got moved in. They were in different buildings at the time. After the office opened they were all under the same roof finally. District Judge Mike Robinson took credit for the sign. He did ask Saline County Judge Lanny Fite to put signs up to help deter crime after the Jail opened. Phil Mask had the inmates moved and the jail secretly operating before anyone knew it. This was done so no problems would arise if it was made public. But Phil Mask was and is the backbone of the sign and the complete jail and sheriffs office under one roof. Link& Link
- Lanny Fite – Judge Robinson ask me to put the sign up on the same day the new jail opened. Link
- Tanya McElroy Martin – We moved to Saline County in 2003 and the sign was there then! I also believe it was erected at the time of the jails completion. Link
- Judy Stone – You’re right Tanya. When the jail was built and not in the basement of the courthouse anymore these signs were put up. We had a reputation of “slapping the wrist” due to no jail space. It changed that reputation real quick! Link
- Judy Stone – It would have been after 2001 cause that’s when he became sheriff. Link
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A bold road sign has long sparked curiosity among motorists traveling along Chicot Road near the Pulaski County border. It reads:
WARNING
ENTERING SALINE COUNTY
JAIL SPACE AVAILABLE
Thanks to insights from local residents and former Saline County officials, the history of the sign has been revealed, showing it was erected as a direct message to deter crime when the county opened its new detention facility. Read more below.
The origins of the sign became a topic of public interest after a photograph taken in November 2007 began circulating online. It soon prompted residents to ask who was responsible for the message.
According to local leaders and residents, the sign was installed after the opening of the new Saline County Detention Center, to signal a shift in local law enforcement capabilities.
Prior to the new jail’s construction, the county struggled with a severe lack of detention space, which often forced officials to release non-violent offenders on bail or sign-outs. This limitation gave the area a reputation for lenient consequences.
When the expanded facility was completed under the leadership of then-Sheriff Phil Mask, the county finally had the capacity to hold more lawbreakers.
It was put up right after the new jail was opened,” said James Mashburn. “I was at the open house they had. The Quorum Court had the meeting there. We talked about having more room for the offenders because at that time the jail was only able to hold the worst offenders and having to let non-violent ones sign out or bail out. The jail opened before the complete Sheriff’s Office and the Deputies ever got moved in. After they opened, they were all under the same roof finally. District Judge Mike Robinson took credit for the sign. He did ask Saline County Judge Lanny Fite to put signs up to help deter crime. After the jail opened, [Sheriff] Phil Mask had the inmates moved and the jail secretly operating before anyone knew it. This was done so no problems would arise if it was made public. But Phil Mask was and is the backbone of the sign and the complete jail and Sheriff’s Office under one roof.”
Former Saline County Judge Lanny Fite stated that former District Judge Mike Robinson requested the sign be put up on the exact day the new jail opened. The initiative was designed to serve as a visible warning to potential offenders entering the county that space was no longer an issue, effectively changing the county’s reputation overnight.
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