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Board approves Guardian RFID contract to improve jail logs and reporting
Summary
The board approved a contract with Guardian RFID to supplement jail recordkeeping, paying an initial $13,000 from the sheriff's jail budget and funding ongoing yearly fees from inmate welfare funds rather than general taxpayer dollars.
Benton County commissioners voted on Nov. 18 to approve a contract with Guardian RFID to add a supplemental logging system for the county jail.
Sheriff (Speaker 19) described shortcomings in the jail’s records-management workflow and said the Guardian system makes it easier for detention officers to log well-being checks, medication deliveries and incident notes using mobile devices and tag scans. The sheriff said the initial implementation will cost about $13,000 and come from the jail’s 2025 budget; years 2–6 ongoing fees (about $12,095 per year) will be paid from the inmate welfare fund, a fund generated by commissary purchases and inmate fees "that is not taxpayer funds," he said.
Commissioners moved and seconded the contract approval; the board voted to carry the motion. Commissioners and staff said the software will improve auditable logs and reporting capacity if the county is questioned by the state or needs to investigate incidents.
Next steps: Sheriff's Office to implement the Guardian RFID system and produce reports and training schedules for staff as the system is rolled out.
