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Commission accepts donated first-year subscription to sheriff's office app
Summary
Newton County commissioners approved accepting a one-year donated subscription to a sheriff's office smartphone app (vendor cost $2,500/year) offered by NCIC Inmate Communications, intended for public alerts, inmate info and push notifications. Commissioners discussed alert settings and emergency uses.
Colton presented a proposal for a sheriff's office smartphone application that would deliver press releases, inmate search and commissary/visitation details, offer crime-prevention tips and provide push alerts to residents. He said the vendor charges $2,500 per year and that NCIC Inmate Communications offered to fund the first year as a donation to the county.
Why it matters: The app is intended to give the sheriff's office a direct channel for emergency alerts (for example floods or active searches) and routine information such as visitation schedules, which staff said could reduce routine phone traffic to the sheriff's office.
During a question-and-answer exchange, commissioners asked how emergency alerts would be sent. Colton said the app uses push notifications and can be configured so that only high-priority alerts acutely trigger phone notifications while press releases remain accessible behind a tap.
After discussion, a motion to approve acceptance of the one-year donated subscription funded by NCIC Inmate Communications was made and seconded. The court approved the donation by voice vote.
What's next: County staff said they were finalizing minor design changes with the app developer and expected implementation within about a month if commissioners accepted the donation and the vendor finalized configuration.
Representative quote: "It's an app ... you can go anything from press releases, inmate search to see if somebody's in jail," Colton said, summarizing features and noting the $2,500 annual cost.
Ending note: The court approved the donated first-year subscription; commissioners asked staff to return with any operational details or concerns about push-notification settings.
