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Chippewa County approves courthouse security upgrades including proposal to add facial-recognition capability to cameras
Summary
The board approved a security package for the Chippewa County courthouse: restricted entrances, fob readers, steel doors, alarm upgrades and additional cameras. Staff proposed converting 64 cameras to facial-recognition-capable software with a 10-year service plan; supervisors asked for policy and procurement details before implementation.
Chippewa County supervisors on Dec. 10 approved a staff-recommended package of courthouse security upgrades that includes restricted public entrances, the installation of fob readers, steel doors on exit-only entries, new alarm monitoring and an expanded duress system.
Facilities and IT staff said the recommended scope would raise the county’s capacity for alarm zones and add several cameras for improved visibility; they estimated the immediate package cost at approximately $152,000–$154,000. The Capital Improvement Plan previously included a $750,000 placeholder for broader courthouse security work.
The proposal included converting 64 existing cameras to a system with "facial recognition capacity" and a 10-year service plan to allow authorized users and law enforcement to upload photos of persons of interest to the system. Staff said the capability helped locate individuals during incidents and that trial use was appreciated by security officers. Supervisors asked whether specific incidents motivated the change and pressed staff on policy safeguards, family or public privacy concerns and procurement details; staff indicated they would return with more complete vendor quotes and policy language.
The board voted to approve the resolution authorizing the described security implementation; staff were instructed to proceed to procurement steps and to prepare policy language for camera and photo use policies.
