A new control system for the Acadia Parish Jail will be considered when the Acadia Parish Police Jury meets in regular session here Wednesday.
Sheriff K.P. Gibson appeared before the jury’s Finance Committee Wednesday night to request funding for the new system.
“Since I came into office 18 months ago — and way beyond that — the police jury has been having to patch up this system,” Gibson said of the current equipment.
The Control Monitoring System is “the brains of the jail, it controls everything in the jail,” Gibson said.
“Right now we have 155 prisoners in our jail. Forty-six of them are there on charges of murder or attempted murder,” Gibson said. “I can’t begin to stress to you the kind of liability we — the police jury and myself — will face if this system goes down and one or more of these prisoners escape.
“Our IT (information technology) people have done every piece of patchwork we can do on it. The experts tell us that it needs to be replaced.”
Gibson went on to outline some of the specific problems that have been encountered with the current control system, which was installed when the jail was constructed 11 years ago.
“I realize it’s a hefty price tag,” he said, referring to the $42,463 estimate by Homeland Safety Systems, Inc., of Bossier City.
Asked if he had confidence on Homeland Safety Systems, Gibson answered, “These are the people that have been working with us. They are the people we have been trusting since I’ve been in office and before that.”
The sheriff said that a technician from the New Iberia area usually is dispatched when a problem arises with the controls system.
“He’ll come at the drop of a hat, whenever we need him,” Gibson said.
Meanwhile, Gibson said he has implemented a number of “extra security” measures at the jail.
“We’re doing everything we can to lower our liability — and yours,” he said. “But these duties are taking deputies away from duties they could be doing elsewhere.”
The Finance Committee — Chairman Robert Guidry, Richard Faul and Chuck Broussard — voted to foward Gibson’s request to the full jury.
The full police jury regularly meets on the second Tuesday of each month. The January meeting was moved back one day because of the New Year holidays, which delayed the committee meetings.
