Callaway County Commission approves additional jail cameras

The Callaway County Commission approved an additional $32,000 for 13 more security cameras for the ongoing jail security upgrade project.

The county is upgrading the original system that was installed in the 1980s. Correctional officers started experiencing problems with the equipment, so the commission voted last year to upgrade the system. The project was originally bid for about $285,000. The additional cameras bring the total to about $315,000.

“As we move through the construction process, with an older jail, there’s always issues,” Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungermann said. “We had added some cameras with the new system then here in the past probably month or so, we’ve had some discussions with the sheriff about the older cameras and different things and they were starting to cause some issues.”

The upgraded cameras come with zoom and record in color, as opposed to black and white like the original cameras. The cameras also record in digital instead of analog. The recordings will be saved for 30 days.

In August, Callaway inmate Seth MacVittie escaped from the jail. He was later found dead after an hours-long standoff. Callaway County Sheriff Clay Chism, at that time, said MacVittie was likely able to escape due to an ongoing construction project. Jungermann said this security upgrade is a part of that construction.

“This is probably the major part of it,” Jungermann said. “With the system being down, everything was manual, everything was keys. Because of all the keys, we couldn’t keep the inmates locked down in their cells like we’d like to. So we had them in the day room more than usual. It allowed them more reign in the evenings, which they normally don’t have. That always causes issues because it gets dark, you’re relying on your eyes instead of cameras.”

“It was part of it,” Jungermann said. “Was it all of it? Maybe not. But all the things added up together. It happened.”

The commission and the sheriff believe the new upgrades will allow their correctional officers to do, more of the work they are supposed to do rather than try to make old technology functional.

“We struggle,” Jungermann said. “All counties struggle trying to find correctional officers and people to run these 24/7 operations. So the easier and more up to date we can do this, the easier it is to keep help and keep them doing the things we need them to do, instead of trying to make old systems work.”

The system is fully functional right now. The complete project, with the additional 13 cameras, is expected to be completed in the next four to six weeks.