PASCO -- More criminals could soon be walking the streets in Franklin County instead of going to jail.

The county's Proposition One which would expand public safety services and build a new county jail is failing with a 52% rejection rating.

County Sheriff, Richard Lathim, says the overcrowded jail may change it's booking requirements because there is simply not enough space to hold the growing number of criminals.

He says the jail was built to hold about 100 criminals, but right now it's holding about double that.

"We'd have to limit who could come to jail, so they would just have to be cited, or reports be filed with the prosecutor and charged with later and brought in. So it starts deteriorating your effectiveness I think as a law enforcement officer if you can't have that resource of putting people in jail" said Lathim.

Lathim says crime is down in the county, and a new jail would help keep it that way.

But without it, crime rates could go back up to where they were a few years ago.

If the proposition doesn't pass, Lathim says he's almost certain it will be on next year's ballot, and the county will eliminate three deputy sheriff and four correctional officer positions.