Hancock County Sheriff Brad Burkhart said they must take the time now to make sure every lock is working properly, all computer systems are installed and running, and a full staff is on hand and properly trained.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
HANCOCK COUNTY — Sheriff Brad Burkhart bent down to pick up the small, gold-colored pin lying on the floor after it fell out of where the lock should be on one of the administrative doors heading into a conference room at the new jail.
“We’ve got the doors, but not the locks,” Burkhart said looking at a hole where the key lock should be.
He noted that, unlike some of the administrative doors, all the locks in the jail where the inmates will be housed are in, but they need time to make sure they are working properly.
Major construction on the county’s new jail has been done for some time now. However, the punch list to complete the project inside probably won’t be finished until sometime this spring, Burkhart said.
While original plans called for the new jail to open this month, that will not happen with a new opening date slated for sometime in late April or early May.
Due to delays affecting most construction projects nationwide, Burkhart said they must take the time now to make sure every lock is working properly, all computer systems are installed and running and a full staff is on hand and properly trained.
Burkhart is spending more and more time at the new facility as the open date inches closer, but he will not give his OK to transfer inmates until everything on his ever-changing to-do list is complete.
“I’ve got a pretty good list of things we still need to do here, and it’s got to be right,” Burkhart said. “I’m just very particular, and I bring up a lot of different questions to our construction staff.”
The Sheriff jokingly spoke about how construction workers at the new jail are getting kind of tired of his to-do lists, noting his fine-tooth-comb approach is extensive.
“This isn’t like opening a business or a home where you can go ahead and move in and make adjustments as you go,” Burkhart said. “We’ve got to have everything working perfectly — there is no room for error here.”
That includes making sure every lock on every single door is installed and working. In walking through the facility recently, Burkhart showed how his security card will give him access from the place where inmates will be housed to the administrative offices.
“I’ve got to use my card here, but then also punch in a security code, so we’ve got a safety measure involved should an inmate ever get hold of a security card,” Burkhart said.
It’s going to take some time to make sure each and every lock on each and every door is working as it should with backup systems in place. Plus, they’ve got to have training on the system and time to make sure the staff knows how things work.
Steve Ward, who is the construction supervisor for the new jail, said Burkhart has been hands-on during the development of the project, and that’s been a good thing.
“He’s taught us a few things about what their vision is — the working day-to-day vision of how things need to be,” Ward said.
Ward admitted building the jail has been interesting because most structures are designed to get people out of buildings as quickly as possible while the new jail, which can house 435 inmates, has been designed to keep people in.
The command center at the new jail is massive and well lit, with chairs in place ready to be occupied, but none of the computer or backup systems needed to run the intake center, which will control locks, lights, security camera systems and more, are in place yet.
All those systems must not only be installed but connected and working without fail.
“We ordered the switches for our network in May of last year, and they won’t be here until April,” Burkhart said.
Captain Robert Harris, the public information officer for the Sheriff’s department, noted the one question he gets most from people in the community is, “When will the new jail open?”
“It really is the most popular question right now, but now is the time to make sure we get it right before we are full of inmates,” Harris said.
He, like Burkhart, says people are just curious about the county’s massive project.
“We’re getting a lot of ‘When will it open?’ but there is not push to getting it open,” Burkhart said.
The hope is to have all the equipment in place sometime in late March or early April and then allow the staff time to train and get prepared for the inmates.
“Then we can see where we are at,” Burkhart said.
That includes training seven new jail officers who are currently only potential jail staff members.
For Burkhart, who has been part of the new jail plans since 2017, it’s been interesting watching the vision for the jail come to life. He’s been working closely with the fire inspector and the state jail inspector who, so far, like what they’ve seen.
“So far, there are no issues there,” Burkhart said. “There are certain guidelines we have to go by, and we are doing that.”
Burkhart is particularly pleased with the fact they planned well for growth both inside the new facility and outside.
