Security fence to be constructed at the Daviess-DeKalb jail facility

Three contractors’ names were taken for the building of the fence. Only one of the contractors provided a bid in keeping with the requested specifications.
The fence will be built by Workman Fencing out of King City. Work was expected to start the first of this week. The materials will cost roughly $13,000. The company will be paid another $13,000 for labor, for a total cost of about $26,000.
The 700 foot fence will encompass the annex building grounds. (The main building and grounds of the jail are already fenced.) The fence around the annex will be nine foot high — an eight foot chain link fence topped with one foot of razor wire. There will be three rows to the razor wire. Razor wire will also be placed on the bottom of the fence.
The board had asked for the fence to be set in concrete to prevent inmates from digging underneath it. That was cost prohibitive. The contractor suggested railroad ties. The board discussed the possibility that railroad ties could be lifted away by an inmate. They decided that the railroad ties could be anchored into the ground with re-bar or some other means to make them unmoveable.
Jail Administrator Larry Hadley went over improvements to the annex building during the board’s regular meeting held Friday, Feb. 29.
The annex building received 14 gauge steel sheeting welded together to make the walls. Angle iron was placed on the top and bottom to prevent peel back.
Mr. Hadley explained that the original steel siding is now covered by steel siding on the walls in four or five layers. The 5×10 sheeting was overlapped and welded every six inches and welded to the top and bottom angle iron.
“Every access to the outside had been sealed,” he told the board, “Including steel on the roof. I’m not able to say it’s escape proof, but I can say it’s escape retardant.”
Daviess County Commissioner David Holcomb was present to discuss  with the board the issue of prisoners being released on the streets of Pattonsburg.
He suggested the possibility of a day/night watchman. He said the county had a vehicle it would be willing to furnish the city of Pattonsburg at no charge.
He said it was his sense that the residents of Pattonsburg wanted someone who would be “visible,” who could cruise in some sort of marked car, to keep an eye on released prisoners to know their whereabouts.
“We need to find a solution,” Mr. Holcomb said. “The problem is not going to go away.”
Sheriff Heldenbrand asked why the jail could not pay the city an amount equal to the amount of taxes it received when the jail was privately owned. This amount, “in lieu of taxes” could be given as a contribution to the city from the jail to be used for security purposes.
The board discussed what the amount would be. Mr. Holcomb said he thought it was about $8,087.
The city agreed to find out the exact amount from the courthouse.
The board asked Mr. Hadley how many prisoners were released of a night on average. He answered two or three. They then asked of that number, how many did not have a ride out of town. He answered probably one a week on average. He said the number of inmates that “walk” are down to single digits a month.
The board considered the pros and cons of a day/night watchman. Would he be part-time or full-time? Would he be an officer of the law, that is, would he carry a gun and have the authority to stop cars and make arrests? Or would he only be a private citizen who, if there was trouble, would contact law enforcement? The board expressed concern about what would happen if a day/night watchman attempted to take the law into his own hands. Sheriff Helden- brand said, “We don’t want a lynch mob in the middle of the night.”
The board agreed that the city of Pattonsburg should use whatever money the jail donated to make its own decision as to what sort of security it wished to provide its citizens. 
Daviess County Presiding Commissioner Lance Critten commented that the board members should talk further with the Pattonsburg city council in order to seek follow-through on issues brought up in the past and then allowed to drop. For example, he mentioned the alarm system. It had been discussed and agreed upon as a good idea for the town to have an alarm that would sound to alert citizens that a prisoner had escaped from the jail. But the idea had not been pursued any further.
Secretary Mary Marrow agreed, saying that at the escape of two prisoners in January, several residents had asked, “Why wasn’t the alarm set off?”
Sheriff Heldenbrand said, “We need to keep addressing it until we work out all the kinks.”
The board discussed the question of hiring a jail investigator. Daviess County Sheriff Helden- brand said he liked the idea because it offered an impartial system of check and balance.  He said he would look further into the matter, but in the meantime he and the county deputies would “spend more time up here for now.” The board thought such an investigator could be hired for a part-time position which might evolve into full- time position if there was a need.
The board also asked about state investigators and if they were at the county’s disposal and agreed to look into the matter to find out. 
Commissioner Holcomb told the board he appreciated the job they were doing. He said he didn’t think most people realized the positive financial impact the jail had for the county.
Mr. Hadley said the jail employed 65 people and about one-third of them were from the area.
Mary Marrow said, “A lot of us employees appreciate what we’ve got. We couldn’t drive to St. Joseph or Kansas City for the same salary and benefits we have here.”
Mr. Hadley gave the board members an update of general improvements made lately to the entire jail.
Cameras were installed down the “dog-legs” of the prison bays. The cameras have low-lighting infrared features. Metal doors were put around toilet stalls and shower curtains were taken down to clear the camera’s view.
New plumbing was done for the sinks in the bathrooms and the water heater, sink and washer in the laundry room.
The entire jail has now been repainted, including B-Bay; C-Bay and D-Bay, each with a 33-bed count.
DVD players were removed and TVs were encased in metal with a plexiglass front.
Showers and stools were originally set on concrete slabs, Mr. Hadley said, and the water was leaking underneath. For cleanliness and safety, showers in the bays were completely re-done. Epoxy was put in the cracks to stop the leaks and stainless steel was put on the shower walls. The stools were bolted directly to the wall and leveled with grout.
Sinks went from having a large heavy knob to a push button assembly. Mr. Hadley said the two pound knobs were being replaced about once every two months at a cost of $90. The push button assembly was much more cost-effective in that it uses a spring that costs two cents to replace.
Pipes in the (chase) closets were all insulated.
Three convection ovens in the jail kitchen were replaced with two new stack-type ovens. They were installed at a cost of $5,965. The lowest bid was from a company out of Minneapolis, which did not provide service. The bid was accepted from a company out of Kansas City, which did provide service, even though its bid was $100 higher. The board felt the closer proximity and the service was worth the extra cost.
The board discussed leaks in the roof and the need to coat areas with “roof spray.” A contractor from Shenandoah, Iowa, looked at the roof last Friday to give them an idea of the expense. Mr. Hadley said the furnaces located in the attic and the joints anchoring the security cameras were two of the problem areas.
The board discussed a concern expressed by a judge and public defender that the inmates were not receiving their medications. Mr. Hadley said based upon the jail’s new health care system, the in-house doctor has a protocol he follows. It is the doctor’s decision as to what medications the inmates are prescribed. He added that the doctor would choose a generic form of drug, and he would not prescribe a narcotic. The board agreed that the complaint needed to be given in writing to the county sheriff who would pass it on to the jail administrator who would pass it on to the doctor and/or insurance company.
Financial report, aging report and budget message was read by Budget Manager David Tolen.
Sales tax income totalling $70,339.11 was reported for January and $59,647.67 was reported for the month of February. Those deposits, plus interest of $360.57, brought the balance to $532,115.56.The board decided to withdraw $325,000 of that money and combine it with $475,000 that had been in a CD.
That total fund of $800,000 was then placed in a six-month CD. The highest bid was from Horizon in Cameron at 4.97% interest. The CD will come out before the next bond payment is due.
The sales tax has $207,115.56 remaining in the checking account. Total revenue for the sales tax is a little over a million dollars.
The jail’s commissary grossed $17,764.12. Swanson’s income was $256.73.
The jail’s beginning balance was $312,534.32 and ending balance was $185,318.67. According to Mary Morrow the balance does not reflect other checks coming to the jail in March but not yet received, which would place the jail’s outstanding balance at $232,240.66.
The jail has a CD for $400,000 and a CD for $300,000.
Since Jan. 1, Daviess County has saved $49,254 on inmate housing, and DeKalb County has saved $80,566.
The aging report was reviewed.
The board discussed the issue of smoking on the jail premises. They also wondered whether the jail needed to hire its own attorney. Both issues were tabled until the next meeting set for 10 a.m. on March 28.