Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Jail Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County approves inmate-tracking upgrade and interlocal housing agreements; several sheriff hires cleared
Summary
The court approved renewal of the Guard1 inmate-tracking system (one-time $27,231.74 from commissary, annual $6,671.16 added to 2027 budget), authorized interlocal prisoner-housing agreements with neighboring counties, and approved multiple sheriff's office hires and pay rates.
The Atascosa County Commissioners Court approved a renewal of the Guard1 inmate-tracking system and a set of contingency interlocal agreements to house inmates with Wilson and Live Oak counties, and it approved several sheriff's office personnel appointments.
The sheriff described the Guard1 upgrade as an operational improvement that will replace paper logging with computerized scans linked to the jail management system. "Now the inmates, if approved, will have actual bracelets that you can't take off... And anytime they're moving or they receive medication ... we can simply scan the bracelet and it automatically updates it to our computer system," the sheriff said, describing expected time savings and better tracking.
The one-time cost for the upgrade is $27,231.74 to be paid from the sheriff's commissary account; the annual recurring cost was stated as $6,671.16 and will be added into the 2027 jail capital outlay budget. Commissioners voted to approve the purchase.
Separately, the court approved interlocal agreements with Wilson and Live Oak counties to provide additional inmate housing capacity if Atascosa County approaches capacity thresholds. The sheriff said the measures were precautionary given near-capacity counts in recent weeks; the sheriff reported the inmate count earlier that morning at 221 and described the interlocals as a readiness step.
The court also approved several new hires for the sheriff's office, including corrections officers and a deputy (start dates and probationary periods recorded in the personnel motions). Each hire and the Guard1 renewal were moved and seconded and the motions carried in open session.
The funding source for the Guard1 one-time cost was the sheriff's commissary account; the county will address the recurring annual cost in the 2027 budget process. Implementation tasks include coordinating installation and software integration with the jail management system and adding the recurring cost to the next budget cycle.
