New jail features fiber optic network

RUSSELLVILLE - Franklin County Sheriff Larry Plott has spent years looking forward to the day his office could move into a new facility.

Now, Plott expects to be in a new 32,000-square-foot jail by mid-February.

The new jail, which is being built on a 30-acre tract at the intersection of Walnut Gate Road and Herring Cross Road between Alabama 243 and U.S. 43, will replace the 70-year-old structure in downtown Russellville.

Construction of the jail is complete, and officials are waiting on a few minor adjustments that will make it operational.

"There is a lot to move, but we will see if we can get everything taken care of in January," Plott said.

Officials say the county has annually spent $75,000 to $150,000 on repairs at the old jail, which was built in the 1930s. The county is spending more than $9 million on the new facility.

"Based on the figures I have seen, it would cost $14 (million) to $16 million to build this building if we were starting right now," Plott said.

Work on the project began three years ago and will enable the county to meet all federal guidelines.

Concerns had been raised about the possibility of court orders that would have taken the jail from the county's control.

That would have made the project more costly, officials said.

The new jail includes booking and waiting areas, records rooms, lobby, kitchen, laundry room, medical room and cells for inmates.

Plott said the building is designed to accommodate expansions, should the need arise. It will comfortably house 150 inmates and more if needed.

The offices and supply areas will be housed in a separate administration building on the site.

The jail will allow inmates to be housed by classification, which will keep those arrested on the most serious charges away from the general population in the jail.

"It will make a much safer environment for our employees and the inmates," Plott said. "The beauty of it is that it is a true lockdown. There will not be a lot of movement inside the jail."

One of the greatest sources of security in the jail comes through a fiber optic network that will limit inmates' access to the outside. Inmates will now talk to visitors through monitors rather than having actual contact.

The network also will connect to agencies in the community.

Plott said the network will link the jail to the courthouse, the 911 center, Russellville Hospital, Russellville city schools and Franklin County schools.

The system will allow authorities to speak with school officials through a real-time video conference and will eventually allow officers to monitor the schools through the network.

The fiber optic network will network the agencies through an online connection that requires transmitting equipment on each end.

The lines are in place and will be available once the jail opens.

The network also will allow jailers to communicate with court officials without having to take inmates to the courthouse.

In the past, jailers escorted inmates on foot next door for bond hearings and other court proceedings. "We can do it all over the network now," the sheriff said.

One unique aspect of the system is that inmates can actually receive preliminary medical exams without being transported from the facility.

"They are so accurate and so clear that doctors will be able to do exams without visiting the site or having the patient in office,"Plott said.

The county received three grants in excess of $660,000 for the installation of the fiber optics network.

"This will save money in the long run by eliminating transportation costs," Plott said.

"Because of the liability at the old site, to a degree, we are overwhelmed to move into a facility that's more secure."

Jonathan Willis can be reached at 332-0140 or jonathan.willis@timesdaily.com.