News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department applying for a grant to help improve security at the Justice Center.
Sheriff Eddie Farris said that the projects would benefit officers, state workers, and the public. Farris said that one of the things the county has on its docket is installing kevlar panels for the existing court clerk benches. Farris said they are also looking to harden the entryway glass of the Justice Center to protect against projectiles and blunt objects.
“There was a grant out there so we’re applying for it,” Farris said. “I think it’s a little bit over $180,000 worth of things we need to do so we’ll see I hope we’re able to get everything we want but if we just get some of it we’ll do what we can and try to do some more next year.”
Farris said that all the upcoming projects will be finished regardless, though the grant would help them get done faster. Farris said that they still have not received an update regarding the grant statutes since submitting the application.
“It’s very early in the process,” Farris said. “We feel good about it, at least part of it, there wasn’t a limit amount on it, so we’ve tried hard to justify everything that we’ve asked for.”
Farris said the Sheriff’s Office is looking to upgrade older panic alarm systems in the county courtrooms. Farris said he’s also looking to upgrade courtroom security cameras that have fallen out of date over the last few years.
“All these things have been talked about and been needing some addressing in the last year or two,” Farris said. “So it wasn’t very hard to come up with what we needed. Of course, the Sheriffs in charge of court security, and really in charge of the whole Justice Center, the building itself, so just trying to make it secure.”
Farris said that the grant would also fund upgrades around the parking lot in between the Sherrifs Office and Justice Center. These upgrades include secure gates added to limit who has access to enter and exit the parking lot.
