Richland County approves Dayspring phone-system upgrade and vehicle cameras to boost staff and client safety

On April 22, 2025, the Richland County Board of Commissioners approved two Dayspring operations upgrades: a phone-system replacement and subscription vehicle camera/telematics on Dayspring vehicles.

The moves came during a presentation by Michelle Swank, executive director of Dayspring. Swank told commissioners the current phone system is “10 years old” and “antiquated,” that replacement parts and receivers are no longer available, and that legal review of the new contract had been completed. She said the new system will increase Dayspring’s cost by about $700 a month and expand the facility’s lines from nine analog lines to 21, while retaining a few analog lines for the elevator, fax and fire system. The board voted to approve the phone contract; commissioners voting “yes” were Commissioner Vero, Commissioner Mears and Commissioner Banks.

Swank also sought approval to equip Dayspring’s fleet with cameras and vehicle-tracking through Verizon Connect. She said the request originated with a staff driver who worried that, when driving county vehicles to transport residents, there would be no way to refute false claims or prove a driver’s actions in the event of an incident. Swank said the system includes outward- and inward-facing cameras and cloud storage for video. “This just is another layer of protection for the resident and for the employee,” she said. She added that “all of the employees and all of the residents will know that there is a camera in all of our vehicles” and that guardians would be informed where applicable. Swank described the Dayspring fleet as three transport vehicles, an activity bus and a maintenance truck — five vehicles total — and said the vendor had a promotional price of $4 per camera per month for the first year. She also said installation is included in the subscription and that storage would be “secured for a number of months.” The board approved the vehicle-camera/telematics program with the same unanimous vote recorded for the phone contract.

During discussion, commissioners asked about storage and installation costs; Swank confirmed that storage is hosted in the cloud and that installation was a minor portion of overall cost. She also said she would conduct usual due diligence and notify residents and staff before activation.

The board also accepted the resignation of Dayspring employee Madison Carter, effective April 18, 2025, by unanimous vote.

Swank closed her appearance with a brief account of Dayspring’s recent Easter egg hunt, praising volunteers and reporting about 110 children attended despite morning rain.

The approvals are administrative actions to update aging infrastructure and add a video/telemetry layer for incident review and employee protection. Swank said staff and residents will be informed and sign acknowledgments where required.