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By Myrna Trauntvein
TN Correspondent

Video security needs to be installed on the county’s alarm system.

Colby Park, county planning director and IT (Information Technologist), said that he had been looking into adding the security and found that it was expensive.

However, through surveillance cameras, police can both prevent crimes from happening and can quickly solve criminal cases with material evidence. The presence of cameras may protect the lives of workers against intruders.

In addition, surveillance cameras protect against property theft and vandalism.

“I asked about such systems being added to protect our offices,” said Richard Hansen, county commission chairman. “We need to have them also at the road shed and at the ambulance shed.”

In fact, they were probably needed at the landfill.

“It will be expensive,” said Park. “It will cost approximately $35,000 to do what you want.”

Special Service District #2 could be asked to use funds to help pay for the expense, he said. Special Service District #2, receives it’s money from mineral lease funds.

“Will we have desk buzzers?” asked Hansen.

Park said that buzzers were included and that those certified to have door keys could choose to have fobs instead of keys for unlocking doors, which was a good idea.

“Fobs also limit access,” said Marvin Kenison, commissioner.

A fob, commonly called a key fob, is a small security hardware device with built-in authentication used to control and secure access and is programmable. Key fobs are encoded with proprietary information and therefore cannot be copied by anyone but the original provider.

Video, Park said, would enhance safety by creating a safer environment for staff, customers and visitors with video surveillance. It was also possible to receive alerts because motion detection in security cameras will send real-time notifications.

“We need video so that we can refer back to it if we ever need to,” said Hansen.

Cameras can also document events by providing video, images and long-term archives of video footage for increased visibility into security events.

“Security can also help prevent break-ins,” said Hansen.

Video surveillance protects employees indirectly by monitoring each visitor who comes into the building and keeps a video record of their activity.

Lynn Ingram, county road department superintendent, said that he had found people inside the county shop just wandering around. In one case, the people had told him they were looking for lumber.

People steal things from the shed and from the grounds, he said.

“We have security at Callao and Mammoth,” said Ingram. “It saves recordings for up to 90 days and is so sensitive you can hear the birds cheeping.”

It was also capable of sending notices.