Sheriff exploring new camera system
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By Todd Marver
tmarver@nashnews.net
Sheriff Ross Schultze is exploring a new camera system for the judicial center, jail and sheriff’s office.
Brandon Watson, NovaCom Communications vice president, said the sheriff reached out to his company and asked if they could come to the sheriff’s department and some of the other buildings like the judicial center and jail. He said his company took a look to see if it’s something that could either be built upon or replaced to make things better. He said they walked through all the buildings and decided that between the sheriff’s department and jail, there were probably going to be 60-plus views on the outside and inside.
Watson said the existing system is an analog video system that has very few camera views for the sheriff’s department, jail and the judicial center. He said the judicial center has the same issues that the sheriff’s department and jail have and analog systems are antiquated.
“They went to IP based systems and they have a lesser field of view. You have a higher resolution and you have a lot more options (with a new system). On the existing system, you have exit/entry points that go outside and come inside that are not coming back in and make sure we take care of things like that. That happened in all the locations,” he said.
Watson said the system is organic and is a first step of moving into other things. He said the county could move the system to include access control.
“If someone comes up to the door and they have the right card, they get the card but our camera system says that’s not the right guy, so you might want to let him know. That system is capable of doing that,” he said.
Watson said they also have the ability to put sensors inside bathrooms. He said if someone comes into the bathroom and they’re smoking or vaping, there’s not a camera inside there, but the system is capable of listening and hearing what’s going on to alert somebody in administration, sheriff’s office or jail to come down and take a look.
Watson said it can also be set up to be almost like a security alarm.
“If at certain times people coming in and out of doors are not supposed to, there would be an alert on that system letting them know,” he said.
Watson said there is also the ability to communicate across the communication system itself.
“If someone sees a person that they don’t know or do know, but they shouldn’t be in the jail or sheriff’s department, you can send out a message to go across the radios saying that we need help in this department or in this area,” he said.
Watson said a weapons detection system is also included in this.
“If someone did come into the sheriff’s department or jail and they had a weapon you did not see or they had it concealed and you did see it, that system will alert you and let you know that. If someone is not supposed to be on the property and they pull up in a car with a license plate that’s not supposed to be on the property, they will also alert you to that and let you know what’s going on,” he said.
Watson said the sheriff’s office and jail would be the main hub. He said it will have a server with storage, and it is going to be stored on-site at the sheriff’s department.
“The cameras are high definition cameras. A lot of them are 400 to 500 pixels all the way up to 12. A lot of them do a 360 view like a fish eye view. Some of them do a 180 view. Basically a 180 view, you’d put that on the outside of the building. It’ll pick up two sides of the wall and you have the ability to see that on the screen,” he said.
Watson said one of things the sheriff also requested is to be able to view the other buildings and the sheriff’s office, jail and judicial center could see each other’s cameras.
“It was brought to our attention that there are inmates that are run over and sometimes those guys cannot see those cameras properly. It would really help them. That system is capable of doing that as well,” he said.
The new system would also include contact tracing.
“If an inmate does something or brings something in that he’s not supposed to, you can literally go back on that system and see where the inmate first came in today and see where the inmate goes to the cell. You can literally watch that entire scenario play out and see where the unfortunate situation happened,” Watson said.
Watson said with the previous system being an analog system, they cannot use the old and antiquated analog cameras or the analog wiring that is all coaxed.
“Everything is run through IP network, capable of seeing everything on a display at each one of the locations. If you are a sheriff or admin, you can also see all these camera views on your cell phone, tablet or PC at home,” he said.
Watson said the building needs to be rewired. He said the previous system was very similar to what is on an old cable TV with a coax and center pin.
“All the new systems we’ve got, the cameras are no longer having to have an external power supply. It uses a system called POE (power over ethernet). It has an ethernet cable that plugs into the back of the camera,” he said.
Watson said White County Sheriff’s Department and Jail and Franklin County Sheriff’s Department use the new camera system.
Schultze said that maintenance used the drainage snake on September 23 and 24 that was purchased and were able to clear the stoppage in the jail. He said in the long run, they are going to save a lot of money by using the snake to unstop drains.
“Fiscally they said it worked great. We got a 75 foot and then a smaller one for the smaller drains that was 50 foot. It was just with the money that we spent a while back when they were plugging the toilets up and flushing the toilets and flooding the whole jail. We’ll be able to get it quicker than having to wait on a plumber to come and do this. That’s the biggest thing too where we get it unstopped and have to plunge it,” he said.
Schultze reported the department hired two certified full-time deputies. He said returning deputy Roxzen Styninger is replacing Drew Knope who left to go to Nashville Police Department and they hired Joseph Muekenheim who is replacing Chase Harrison. He said Muekenheim is currently employed by the Wamac Police Department.
“I really liked (Muekenheim) on the merit board. He served in the marines. I think he’ll be an asset to the department,” he said.
Schultze reported the department also hired a certified part-time deputy Ben Uscini who is currently employed with the Farina Police Department.
“He is on our list. He interviewed, so he’s a certified law enforcement officer as well. Everybody really liked him too,” he said.
Schultze said the department has been having issues with the control panel in the jail and they’re using keys by hand now. He said when the jail is renovated, there is going to be a whole new control panel installed.
“It’s actually been opening different doors when they punch the user control panel, which has been a problem with inmates just walking out in the hallway, so it needs to be done as quickly as possible. They have to go everywhere to open the door just to keep popping a cell door, something that they didn’t want to open up,” he said.
Schultze reported K-9 Deputy Andrew Howard and Drug Task Force Deputy Kyle Waddington recovered $157,000 in cash and three stolen firearms during a traffic stop on September 26 on Interstate 64. He said the department recently received the bite suit for the K-9 and has already had one training by using the bite suit and it worked out well.
Schultze said the judicial parking lot was restriped.
“You couldn’t hardly see the stripes anymore over there, so they got that done,” he said.
Schultze reported there will be a car seat check on October 21 from 10 a.m. to noon in the rear parking lot of the judicial building.
Schultze said firearm qualifications were completed and Corrections Officer Landon Smith was the ‘Top Shot.’”
