Orange County NC Website
8 <br /> <br /> Federal inmate revenue adjusted to reflect actual <br />collections <br /> <br />• Capital Investment Plan Recommendations <br />o Body Worn Cameras in CIP - $300,000 (page 52) <br /> 75 Units for Sherriff’s Personnel <br />o Northern County Campus (Detention Center page 32) - graph <br />o Detention Center Size Analysis Underway <br />o Discussion for Next Work Session <br /> <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked if there is an update on the Hillsborough approval process. <br />Travis Myren said Hillsborough has approved both the land use amendment, and the <br />zoning. He said if everything tracks and a bed size is determined by the time the BOCC adopts <br />a budget, and some design is put in place, a site plan can be given to Hillsborough by <br />September, at which time the rights will be vested. He resumed the presentation: <br /> <br />• Non-Departmental Expenditures – page 419 <br />o No significant budget changes <br /> <br />Sheriff Blackwood referred to the use of the drone, and said the work done between <br />Emergency Services and his office has become seamless. He said he cannot say enough <br />about Kirby Saunders, and the integration of the system with the Sheriff’s department allows all <br />employees to be tracked, which allows for recovery of funds in certain situations. He said this is <br />invaluable work, and has helped the Sheriff’s Department immensely. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said the same is also true of the work being done with the Criminal <br />Justice Resource Department. He is very proud of the work being done with both of these <br />departments. <br />Chair Dorosin referred to the $300,000 revenue increase based on federal inmate <br />revenue, and asked if this reflects higher numbers of inmates, longer stays, etc. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said the numbers show that fewer inmates are being kept. He said he <br />contacted the Federal Marshal to revisit the cost of keeping federal inmates. He said this <br />conversation was discouraged, but he said the County would no longer keep federal inmates if <br />a conversation did not take place. He said Travis Myren worked very hard on the numbers, and <br />after a lunch meeting with the Federal Marshal, the rate was increased from $65/day to $98/day. <br />He said immediately there was a dip in the number of inmates sent to Orange County, but this <br />has leveled out again. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said he has talked to the Sheriff about monitoring parks since <br />there is a County facility getting ready to open near his home. He said the Department of <br />Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR) does not monitor parks, and this is of <br />concern to park neighbors, as well as those who may run into trouble while in the parks. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said the lack of any patrolling in the County’s parks and trails is of <br />great concern. He said this has to change, and he has looked as several counties throughout <br />the state that have a parks patrol. He said is trying to get an idea of what would be needed in <br />Orange County, and ideally, there would be officers who could frequent these areas. He said it <br />is incumbent upon the County to get some deputies in the woods, if only for visibility and as a <br />deterrent to delinquent behavior. He said searching for a missing person is one thing, but if a <br />crime occurs, the crime scene needs to be managed. He said the best way to prevent trouble is <br />to have people, with law enforcement powers, in and out of the woods with frequency. He said <br />a small outhouse, as the entrance of each park, with the equipment for rescue and police, would <br />allow for much greater safety. <br />Sheriff Blackwood said he hopes to get the body cameras ordered by July 1st.