Marshall County Sheriff seeks funding for aging jail door controllers

Marshall County Sheriff Matt Hassel and Sheriff-Elect Les McFarland appeared before the County Commissioners Monday to present a proposal for replacing the door control system at the Marshall County Jail.

Hassel told the commissioners that the jail's current door controllers have reached their end of life and that replacement parts are no longer available. The department has already experienced a couple of incidents requiring jailers to open cell doors manually, a situation Hassel said could become critically dangerous in an emergency.

"Not having the automatic door controllers could cause a major issue if there were a fire in the building and jailers had to manually open all the cell doors," Hassel noted, adding that the current situation does not align with the jail's fire evacuation protocol.

A quote from Securitas Technology for new door controllers came in at $107,597.75. Hassel acknowledged that his current budget does not have sufficient funds to cover the cost and told the commissioners that, with their support, he intends to approach the County Council to request an additional appropriation.  Hassel noted that the new controllers will work with the current software.

The commissioners were supportive of the request. It is suspected the County Council will draw from extra funding available in the Special Local Income Tax, which is designated to fund jail bonds and some operational costs, to cover the expense.

The need for the upgrade is not entirely surprising. The Marshall County Jail opened in 2008, and officials noted that the age of the building has brought with it a growing number of maintenance challenges.