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Jefferson County approves $17,500 transfer to buy RFID inmate-scanning system for jail
Summary
Commissioners approved a $17,500 transfer from an Axon contract line to purchase an RFID inmate-scanning system intended to log inmate contacts, location and staff checks.
Jefferson County commissioners unanimously approved a $17,500 transfer on a motion to buy an RFID inmate-scanning system for the county jail, officials said at the meeting.
The system will replace part of the county's Axon contract and provide wristbands and wall- or doorway-mounted RFID chips that deputies can scan with a handheld device. Sheriff Flint described the system's recordkeeping and accountability features in detail: “So when they go to court, when they go to medical, when they go to church, when they go to any activity, we can scan them in, scan them out … and that cuts down on liability related issues,” he said. He added that the system can force staff into prompted fields about an inmate's condition and can require a photo or video when certain prompts (for example, “combative”) are selected: “And depending on what prompts you pick on there… it forces you into another prompt where it makes you take a picture or a video of that person's actions at that moment.”
County officials said the upfront purchase and the first year of fees total $17,500 and that the funds used were available after an earlier Axon contract line was paid off early. The sheriff’s office told commissioners the vendor requires a three‑year commitment and that subsequent annual software and hosting fees are expected to be about $10,000 per year.
The sheriff's office and staff said the scanners are roughly the size of a cellphone, that each officer logs into a device so rounds are attributable to the individual officer, and that the system can alert staff when a pod or unit is nearing its required check interval.
Commission action: the commissioners moved and seconded the transfer and then approved it by voice vote. The recorded motion and approval were entered into the minutes as a transfer of $17,500 from account 1142.36310 (Axon contract) to purchase the RFID scanner system; the motion passed and the transfer will proceed pending any required contractor paperwork.
Implementation timeline: the sheriff said the vendor is currently backlogged and installation could take a few months after the contract is signed; the sheriff's office expects up to three days of staff training included in the contract.
No formal dissent or roll-call vote tally was recorded in the transcript.
Ending: Commissioners said they will obtain the vendor contract and routing approvals after the meeting so the sheriff's office can finalize installation and training.
