Mice an increasing part of Sedgwick County Jail population

The largest jail in Kansas is dealing with what could be a seasonal increase of mice.

Sedgwick County sheriff’s Col. Brenda Dietzman said Tuesday that her theory is that hot, wet weather is responsible for recent rodent sightings in the Sedgwick County Jail.

As with any building, “you have mice on occasion,” Dietzman said. “We try to be proactive about the mice” to protect inmates, she said. Mice can spread disease.

“We have that duty to protect, and we take that very seriously.”

The Eagle asked Dietzman about the rodents after a caller raised the concern that mice were showing up in the jail, which keeps on average 1,125 inmates a day.

Part of the challenge of controlling the jail mice population stems from the nature of the human population: Jails have a higher percentage of people who attempt suicide, so putting mice poison out isn’t an option, she said.

Glue traps are used. But some inmates pilfer the traps, possibly to use the glue for whatever purpose a confined person might have, she said.

Dietzman has heard stories of inmates keeping mice as pets but hasn’t seen it.

This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Mice an increasing part of Sedgwick County Jail population."