The Nueces County Sheriff's Department is saving taxpayers thousands of dollars by using inmates to clean area beaches.
Friday morning, inmates with the Nueces County Jail's Alternative Incarceration Program spent the morning picking up trash Spring Breakers left behind between Zahn Road and Newport Pass.
It's a win-win situation. The inmates beautify our beaches and according to Sheriff John Hooper, they save the county $20,000 a month.
"The influx of Spring Breakers it can overwhelm the existing county resources. So, we definitely find value in bringing those inmates out here during this time of year to help us maintain these county beaches," Hooper said.
Hooper uses the A.I.P. inmates year-round. They landscape and clean county parks. The inmates also help the county prepare for the Nueces County Junior Livestock Show and various sporting events.
"Running a jail is the most expensive part of county government. It's an expensive operation. So, anything we can do to save the taxpayers money and also benefit the county, we're going to do it," Hooper said.
