That's because the small jail, situated in the basement of Montpelier City Hall, a yellowing brick building built in the 1920s, is not staffed with officers.

The Idaho Sheriffs Association has warned Montpelier Police Chief David Higley that the lack of supervising officers creates a safety problem for inmates and is a significant liability for the city.

But Higley, whose office is two floors above the cells, says he doesn't have a man to spare. His small force of five full-time officers has all it can handle patrolling the streets of Montpelier, population 2,785, the largest community in the Bear Lake Valley.

Besides, he said, the jail, which houses up to seven inmates, meets state and federal regulations. Making the improvements the association has suggested would make the jail a "Taj Mahal."

"I don't think prisoners should be staying in holiday high-rise motels. I think jails and prisons should be a deterrent," he said.

However, Nick Alber, executive director of the Idaho Sheriff's Association, thinks they should be safe. The Montpelier jail, as it is, ranks among the worst facilities in the state. But his group has no legal authority and is powerless to force changes.

"There are certain things that not have been addressed and continue to exist and put the inmates in jeopardy," he said. "That creates the liability, and sometimes the only way you get people's attention is to say, 'Hey, you have a situation here where people can take your money.' "

Besides lacking jail officers, the Montpelier jail does not have a proper ventilation system, or an outdoor exercise area that meets the association's requirements, Alber said. In addition, it's not handicap accessible.

The jail also has inadequate lighting, needs cleaning and painting, and lacks devices such as a self-contained breathing apparatus and an automated external defibrillator for fire or medical emergencies, Alber said.

And then there is the apparent lack of evacuation plans in the event of a fire and procedures to handle inmates' medical files.

Higley countered that the likelihood of a major incident is slim.

Violent offenders aren't housed together but are taken to jails in Pocatello or Soda Springs. The jail, built mostly of concrete and brick, is virtually fireproof. If there were a problem, the dispatcher could call an on-duty officer.

Alber, however, isn't reassured. "He [Higley] and the mayor and the City Council or the city of Montpelier and potentially others are the deep pockets, and there is a horrendous amount of liability there," he said.

Montpelier locals aren't the only ones who spend time in this slammer.

In the summer, when Bear Lake County's population of about 6,000 swells to three times that size, visitors from every corner of the country spend a stint there, said Sheriff Brent Bunn.

Bear Lake County - which contracts with the Montpelier Police Department to operate and maintain the jail - has discussed the possibility of building a new jail, he said, and three months ago local residents formed a committee to explore ways to fund it.

But the county, in a farming region north of Bear Lake in southeastern Idaho along the Utah border, has a meager tax base, Bunn said.