The Ochiltree County Commissioners’ Court met on Monday, Nov. 22, at the Ochiltree County Courthouse.
Sheriff Terry Bouchard and Jail Captain Tom Morris spoke with the commissioners about a new watch tour system for the county’s Law Enforcement Center.
Bouchard told the commissioners that the Law Enforcement Center is required to check in on prisoners at scheduled times throughout the day to make sure they are in their cells. These checks are performed by a jailer who uses a small device to tap an electronic sensor on each cell.
Morris told commissioners that the current system is less efficient and prone to errors. Jailers are required to use the system to check prisoners who are in their cells, but the current system doesn’t allow jailers to note prisoners who are not in their cells for approved reasons, such as court appearances or doctors’ appointments.
Morris said the new system, provided by a company called LifeCheck, is an improvement over the current system, partly because it allows jailers to note prisoners who are out of their cells for approved reasons. The new system would also be faster, and the company would continue to improve the system as time went by.
The LifeCheck system would cost $6,000 in initial costs with a $300 per month fee.
The commissioners voted to approve the new system.
In other business, the commissioners approved the establishment of an Adult Sexual Assault Response Team for the county.
The establishment of the team is required by every county in the state, due to a law passed recently by the Texas Legislature.
Ochiltree County Attorney Jose N. Meraz told the commissioners the law was passed because some larger counties in the state had large backlogs of sexual assault evidence that remained unprocessed for long periods of time.
Meraz said Ochiltree County does not have a similar backlog, but the new law applies to all counties in the state anyway.
Members of the county’s Adult Sexual Assault Response Team include Meraz, Sheriff Bouchard, Chief Deputy Wayne Floyd, Perryton Police Chief Mike Smith, a representative from the Panhandle Crisis Center, and two representatives from Ochiltree General Hospital.
The commissioners also approved the hiring of a new part-time employee in the County Treasurer’s office.