N.C. Jail Glitch Costing $2,000 a Day in Overtime

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By Durham Herald-Sun

Published: 06/05/2003

For a few moments May 8, a malfunction in the county jail's computerized security system unlocked several doors, before flashing lights on a control panel alerted detention officers to the problem and they turned the system off.
No inmates left their cells, wandered out of secured areas or noticed any difference during the incident, Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Wes Crabtree said recently.
'There was no breach of security,' he said. The glitch was restricted to one of the three floors where inmates are housed, he added.
But the problem is costing taxpayers an average of $2,000 a day in overtime. Six additional detention officers are staffing the floor around the clock to lock and unlock the doors manually. Normally, seven to 10 officers work on a floor.
'They are basically turning keys,' Crabtree said.
For security reasons, officials won't say which floor has the problem or where the disabled doors lead. Each inmate floor has about 180 doors and three housing units, or 'pods,' containing 48 beds. As of May 29, the jail had 438 inmates.
County officials stressed there is no danger to the public but said the situation creates a fire hazard in the jail. It will cost about $1.2 million to replace the highly specialized system, which also controls security cameras, intercoms and other devices.
To map out the damage, the Sheriff's Office recently requested an emergency transfer of $347,000, plus $85,000 to pay for overtime through the end of June.
The custom-made system, in place since the jail opened in 1996, has been deteriorating in recent years.
The county has twice budgeted about $300,000 for repairs, but no companies have bid to do the work. After contractors read the specifications they would say they didn't have the expertise to solve the problem and that new parts didn't exist, Crabtree said.
'They didn't plan far enough ahead' in putting in that kind of system, he said.
To avoid the same predicament, the new system will have no custom-made devices. Using off-the-shelf materials will allow the county to replace any malfunctioning parts without having to overhaul the whole system, county officials said.
The initial phase, which will determine the extent of the problem, should take about 60 days, with installation scheduled to begin in August, jail officials said. New York state-based Applied Systems Technology will install the new system.

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