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County jail gets new security measures Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Jackson County deputy Korby Messer, above, can keep an eye on the jail lobby, as well as the interior and exterior of the building with the addition of new video monitoring equipment. New fencing and video surveillance will help By Jill Briskey Combine a criminal mind with plenty of free time, Lt. James Warren of the Jackson County Sheriff Department says, and you�ve got a disaster waiting to happen. From hatching hare-brained schemes to devising methodical plans, Warren said inmates at the Jackson County Jail can be counted on to keep guards on their toes. Plans are now underway, however, to see that prisoners stay in line while making sure that the guards and surrounding community remain safe. Jail changes will cut costs Facing a $600,000 budget shortfall, the Jackson County Sheriff�s Department is hoping to cut costs by instituting a few changes. The rising cost of health care � coupled with the county�s recent settlement with an employee union over wages and benefits � have contributed to the budget deficit, Sheriff Bob Kennedy said. At the county jail, prisoners will no longer receive free coffee with their meals. According to Lt. Jim Warren, inmates will now get a cup of hot water. If they want their morning java, then they must purchase the item at the prison commissary. "The prisoner will pay for it but the taxpayer won�t," he said. "Coffee is a big budget item." Other changes include the installation of an ATM and vending machine inside the jail lobby. The bank machine will be installed later this week on a 90-day trail basis, Kennedy said. The county does not accept checks, and Warren hopes that residents paying property taxes will use the machine, as well as inmates who need to pay for their warrants. And, Warren jokes, there is no safer place for a bank machine than in a place where "there�s more cops in this place than bees around a hive." "We�re trying to make a dime for our budget," Warren said. "It�s not going to be a windfall, but it will help." Kennedy said ACCESS�s donation of two tons of salmon will help offset the cost of feeding the prisoners. "We�re in dire straits," Kennedy said. "We�re operating by the skin of our little teeth." According to Sheriff Bob Kennedy, bids are due back by Thursday for an 8-foot high fence that will nearly surround the jail. The fence will be topped with three strands of barbed wire, angled inward. Sheriff�s officials have been planning to install a fence for the last seven years. The project will cost an estimated $45,000. It is being paid for, Kennedy said, with money from the general fund. The Eastman Kodak Company in White City has donated equipment for the fence controls, Warren adds. This summer, two prisoners attempted to escape while working in an enclosed, outdoor entrance to the jail, Warren said. They were quickly apprehended. The fence and a video surveillance system will make the area more secure for such work details. Much of the work for the fence, including digging the trenches, has been completed for some time, Kennedy said. Crews will begin construction in January. "It�s going to provide a measure of public safety," Kennedy said. "A lot of the expensive work has already been done ... We�re very happy about it." At any given time, the prison houses about 230 inmates, Kennedy said. At all times during the week there are 10 guards at work. With so many prisoners and relatively few guards, Warren is pleased that many of the older, black-and-white cameras are being replaced. Screens inside the Central Internal Control display color video images from every tier of the jail, entrances and other rooms such as the library and cafeteria. The video offers finer resolution and can be enlarged, Warren said, allowing guards a better view. The improvements are designed not only to keep inmates in, but to keep others out. In an attempt to smuggle contraband � such as drugs, weapons, or cigarettes � inmates often try to mine through glass windows (seven layers thick) or drill a hole through the wall joints, Warren said. "The prisoner will put out what we call �fishing thread,� weighted down with an anchor," Warren said. The "fishing thread" is usually made with strings plucked from their clothing. A contact person will tie contraband onto the bottom, and the prisoner will bring it back up, Warren said. Most often, guards will catch the inmate in the act but three or four times a year, the prisoner actually makes a "catch." "They�ve got plenty of time to do this," Warren said. "Most often they try to smuggle in tobacco ... More than anything else, they seem to love tobacco. That seems to be the most cherished item in the jail." Video surveillance of the jail�s lobby and magnetic door locks are among the other safety measures soon to be installed. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.