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Lincoln County approves $460,000 justice center IT and most sheriff equipment, defers new metal detector
Summary
The county approved $460,000 for network and security infrastructure and about $30,000 in sheriff equipment for the new justice center but removed a new entry metal detector from the vote after commissioners questioned whether to repurpose an older unit.
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners voted to authorize network infrastructure and most sheriff office equipment for the new justice center while removing a proposed new metal detector from the approval for separate consideration.
Jake, a representative of the sheriff's office, told the board the IT/network quote “came up to the total of $460,000 to get that done,” covering wiring, Wi‑Fi, camera and access-control integration and a five‑year warranty for security updates. He warned that vendor prices and lead times are rising and that a separate server purchase could add roughly $100,000.
County commissioners said they wanted to move forward with IT work so construction and systems installation would not be delayed. But several commissioners objected to immediately buying a new metal detector for the building entry when a functioning detector remains at the current courthouse. “We can take this off for now…we can always add it back on a little bit later,” the chair said during debate.
Sheriff Swenson, who joined by phone, argued the existing detector is near the end of its service life: “It’s 20 years old…there is no warranty, there is no repair to it. So, when it goes down, we are done,” he said, urging replacement to avoid a security gap.
The board adopted an amended motion to approve the $460,000 IT purchase and the sheriff’s other equipment requests but to exclude the metal detector so the board can revisit that single item. Roll call on the amended motion recorded a unanimous yes vote from Commissioners Putnam, Schmidt, Arends and Landing.
The amended approval allows staff to proceed with ordering critical IT infrastructure while the board seeks additional information and options for the entry screening equipment, including whether the in‑house crew can install units to reduce assembly costs. Commissioners and staff noted typical vendor lead times of several months for current technology and the potential for further price increases if action is delayed.
