Preston County officials discuss courthouse security upgrades for grant application process

The Courthouse Security Funds grant comes from the West Virginia Supreme Court, he said. The application must be completed no later than April 30.

“This grant is specifically for hardware within the courthouse that could be classified as a safety or security measure,” he said. “So there are certain items in the courthouse that we could consider.”

The meeting was held to discuss various issues, but those in attendance agreed that the courthouse security camera system is the most pressing.

The current camera system transmits with a 20 second delay, Judge Steven Shaffer said. “If we can get the state to pay for this improvement it will be great.”

A proposal from security company Monitronics International Inc. was presented at the meeting.

Since the security cameras have been a longstanding problem, a plan was already prepared, Raybeck said.

“This plan shows what the project will cost and will justify our request for the grant.”

Monitronics would oversee the installation of the new cameras and systems too, he said.

The upgrades would include replacing the current 43 cameras with National Defense Authorization Act compliant internet protocol camera; upgrade headend configuration, transmitted signals and provide a dedicated network to increase bailiff desk efficiency, the proposal read.

The total project cost would run $34,225, officials said.

$40,000 from the state grant will be requested, officials said.

The new camera system would have a hardwired connection to project real-time transmissions, Raybeck said. Additionally, a new server would be installed so that access to the security stream would be more efficient.

The project would begin May 15 and conclude in August, officials said.

While the project will coincide with the Courthouse Reconfiguration work, they should not impede any progress for each other, Commissioner Don Smith said.

One reason why this discussion was held was because the cameras on the second floor had to be replaced due to the Courthouse Reconfiguration, Raybeck said.

“They have to be replaced anyway, why not go in and get them all fixed at once,” he said.

“We all need to be on the same page here,” Sheriff Paul Pritt said. “All these systems for the courthouse and the Sheriff’s office are too much. If this upgrade puts us all on the same system, someone has access to it and works great in all the offices, I am for it.”

“According to our friends at Monitronics, this should be the solution to our problems to all cameras and everyone that has access to them,” Raybeck said.

“If they have a stable real-time connection at the front desk that is not internet dependent, I am good with it,” Prosecuting Attorney Jay Shay said.