Video links Sheriff's office, courthouse

County jail inmates are going to have their time on camera, thanks to federal money.

And also as the result of those funds, the public and officers can get all their business taken care of in one stop at the McDowell County Sheriff's Office.

Administrators have installed a video first appearance system between the Sheriff's Office and the courthouse, and the magistrates are making a part-time move from the courthouse to the Sheriff's Office.

State law requires that anyone charged with a felony be given a first appearance in front of a District Court judge within 96 hours after the arrest.

For years, those first appearances have been conducted at the courthouse, which brings forth the issues of fuel consumption and security.

"We make multiple trips a week and sometimes multiple trips a day to the courthouse and, at times, we're transporting as many as six or eight inmates," said Sheriff Dudley Greene.

But new technology is making those money and security matters less troubling.

A monitor in the jail is securely linked to monitors in both courtrooms. Judges just recently started conducting first appearances via the video system.

"We're going to be making significantly fewer trips to the courthouse per year," Greene stated. "It's going to be more economical and more secure."

McDowell County Clerk of Superior Court Don Ramsey agreed. He said it usually takes about an hour to get an inmate from the jail to the courtroom and before a judge.

"It's going to cut that hour down to about three minutes," Ramsey stated. "It's going to be more safe for the community and cost-effective for law enforcement. There won't be a lot of down time waiting on prisoners."

After months of tweaking the system, it's now up and running.

"Everyone has been open and receptive to it," said Ramsey. "There's the possibility of being able to use it for other things in the future, like bond hearings and 48-hour hearings."

He hopes that state prisons will eventually sign on as well, saving deputies trips across North Carolina to retrieve and/or return inmates.

The sheriff estimated that the video system cost $20,000, but it was paid for through inmate housing revenue.

For years, the county jail has housed federal inmates for the U.S. Marshal Service. The federal agency pays a hefty sum for each prisoner. Greene said part of that money goes to the county and the other part goes to the Sheriff's Office for facility upgrades.

He stated that the video system has been talked about since the Sheriff's Office was built, but Greene began looking at the feasibility of the technology when he took office last May.

The bid process and installation took more than a year.

"The clerk of court, the judges and the district attorney have been very supportive," Greene stated. "I appreciate their willingness to work with us on this."

Just as inmates and judges are seeing changes, so are the magistrates.

Ramsey said, for the last few years, there has been no magistrate presence at the jail. That has changed and now they are at the facility on weekends and after 5 p.m. on weekdays.

"For any felony arrest, we're having to bring the suspect here (to the Sheriff's Office) to be fingerprinted and photographed, then to the courthouse to see the magistrate, then back here to jail," said the sheriff.

Greene stated that moving the magistrates from the courthouse to the Sheriff's Office on a part-time basis is an effort to aid officers and the public.

"Once again, it's going to cut down on the number of trips we have to make and it's going to help security. We have had prisoners escape at the courthouse after seeing the magistrate," he said. "It's going to be more convenient for the public. It will be one stop for them and the officers."

The clerk stated that the original plan was to put magistrates at the jail 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, state budget cuts did away with a part-time position, so that has hindered the ability to staff a magistrate at the jail continuously.

"The only time a magistrate is not at the jail is between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday," said Ramsey. "At those times, they are at the courthouse."

A portion of the Sheriff's Office had to be renovated to properly accommodate the magistrates, according to the sheriff. He estimated that cost at $10,000, but, again, it was paid for through inmate housing revenue.

"Both of these projects will pay for themselves in a couple of months," Greene stated. "We're going to be saving on fuel and manpower."

He added that the discussion to have the magistrates moved also began a year ago.

"I appreciate the willingness of the clerk of court and the magistrates to help with this project," the sheriff stated.