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Court authorizes pursuit of $70,000 federal grant for portable concealed-weapons detection system
Summary
Franklin County staff said the sheriff's office and fiscal court will apply for a federal Burns State Crisis Intervention Program grant to buy a single portable concealed-weapons detection unit (estimated $70,000) intended for use primarily at county schools and at special events; county members asked technical and procurement questions and requested cost details and future bidding requirements.
Franklin County fiscal court authorized the county judge to apply for a federal Burns State Crisis Intervention Program grant on July 30 to purchase a portable concealed-weapons detection system, county staff said.
Belinda (presenter) described the proposed unit as a single mobile, touchless system that requires electricity and an operator with an iPad to monitor alerts. She estimated the equipment cost at $70,000 and said the grant is federally funded and administered by the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet with no local matching requirement. The sheriff's office would control deployment and could use the unit primarily at county schools, sporting events, fairs and other county facilities.
Several members asked technical questions about sensitivity and detection capability; Belinda said the technology vendorfs materials indicate the device uses more than a simple metal detector and may incorporate AI and other sensing modalities but that the county had not completed full technical vetting. Court members asked whether the grant would restrict procurement to a specific brand; Belinda said the priority areas were broad and that the grant would allow specification and bidding if the county secures funding.
Officials noted the county's existing older metal detector in other facilities and discussed budgeting for potential future replacements if the portable system proved useful. The court approved moving forward with the grant application and asked staff to gather more technical details before bidding.
