The day after Fulton County commissioners decided to spend $1.2 billion on renovating the county jail and building a new facility next to it, Sheriff Patrick Labat issued a sharply worded statement calling the decision “a political game of smoke and mirrors.

“This short-sighted thinking is a shining example of people who cannot, and will not, admit they were wrong,” Labat said Thursday in the statement. “They were wrong to turn a blind eye to the need for a new jail facility.

“It is clear their personal agendas and political grievances are being prioritized over public safety and human dignity.”

Labat pushed for a new jail for years, an idea the County Commission considered but scrapped last year , when commissioners instead solicited proposals to plan jail renovations and estimate co

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