After a wave of firings and staff changes under the past Rutherford County Sheriff Administration, the local jail lost their official certification as 2016 came to a close.

The loss of the certification from the Tennessee Corrections Institute was from a number of factors including jail logs showing that inmates who were restrained in chairs or on suicide watch, were not being checked-on every 15-minutes, as required. In fact, two inmates committed suicide in the jail last year (2016).

Being decertified means higher insurance costs and the possibility of more lawsuits against the county, which comes at a big cost to taxpayers.

However, new leadership has resulted in positive changes. Newly hired Jail Administrator Bernard Salandy told WGNS...

The positive news comes under newly appointed Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh and Jail Administrator Salandy.