Sheriff’s department improves security with new cameras

The Butler County Sheriff’s Department has accepted an $8,000 bid to replace its aging security camera system.

Bids closed Nov. 13, with two received, said Chief Deputy Wes Popp.

The accepted bid was from Midwest Security, based in Poplar Bluff.

The purchase includes 16 new cameras to replace several older ones installed around 2010, Popp said.

“Some of our cameras have gone down,” Popp said. “The thing is, we have no security as far as cameras that have gone down.”

The image quality on the older system also is poor, he said.

“The images are grainy, and you can barely make out if it’s a person,” Popp explained.

“Just like any system, everything computerized is outdated by the time it hits five years,” he added.

The new cameras will be mounted both inside and outside the building.

“We had some inside and outside, so we can see anything in and around the building, who goes in and out of the jail, when the food truck comes in the back of the jail, and in the hallways in case there’s a problem,” Popp said.

Besides 16 new cameras, the system also will include a two terabyte storage system.

“The cameras will connect to the network and record to a DVR, which will hold 30 days worth of footage” before it begins overwriting the older files, Popp said.

The recording system, Popp noted, will be able to handle up to 32 cameras if more are added at a later date.

“It’s exactly the same type of system the courthouse has now,” Popp said.

Midwest Security, he said, will install the system in the next few weeks and will provide maintenance for five years.