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Athens County adopts tighter LEADS/911 access rules and new MOU with Sheriff's Office
Summary
The Athens County Board of Commissioners approved updated LEADS/911 security policies and an MOU with the Sheriff's Office that restricts unescorted access to the communications center for non-Sheriff agencies and splits the prior LEADS policy into three documents.
The Athens County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 23 adopted an updated information-exchange MOU with the Sheriff's Office and a set of revised LEADS/911 security policies intended to close gaps identified in a recent technical security inspection.
Under the adopted MOU and policy restructuring, the communications center will no longer allow unescorted access for non-Sheriff agencies. Visitors may still enter a public lobby and request access via a door-buzzer; staff will then escort them. The Sheriff's Office retains direct access under the MOU, which places responsibility for officers' background checks and required training on the Sheriff's Office.
Commissioners said the change resolves auditor-identified "red-flag" items and aligns county procedures with the LEADS auditor's recommendations. The board adopted the MOU and the three restructured LEADS policy documents by motion (mover: Commissioner Charlie Adkins; second: Commissioner Chris Chmiel). The policies will be returned to the LEADS auditor and are on file in the Commissioners' Office pending review by the Prosecutor.
The board also discussed communications to affected offices and outside agencies, noting offices such as the Prosecutor's Office and local municipal partners need formal notice of the access change. County staff said the changes are administrative and focused on site access controls rather than altering LEADS operational use by outside agencies.
The meeting record shows coordination among the Sheriff's Captain Cooper, 911 Director Fouts-Imler, the LEADS auditor and county legal review to finalize the MOU language. Commissioners instructed staff to notify impacted partners and to ensure the MOU is fully executed and returned to the LEADS auditor.
