Ross County Jail receives $1.6 million for security upgrades

CHILLICOTHE― Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently announced that he will be providing assistance to six county jails. Around $5 million in grant money has been awarded for targeted safety, security and operational projects.

Ross County received  $1.6 million for security upgrades

“Ohio is making significant investments in the safety and overall operations of our jails to help them better meet the demands of our criminal justice system,” said DeWine. "These jail improvements will help alleviate more significant issues in the future and help ensure these facilities are operating safely.”

The sheriff's office thanked DeWine for his support of county jails and for recognizing they need support if they are going to be holding more people as part of the Targeted Community Alternatives to Prison (T-CAP) program. This program aims to reduce the number of offenders who are put into prisons by housing lower-level felons in county jails.

"In holding more violent people we have to make sure our facility here is very secure," said Sheriff  George Lavender.

Security upgrades have been an issue for the jail as they are unable to make many major improvements due to the location of the jail. Since they are in a downtown setting they can't install double fences or motion sensors around the perimeter.

After looking at ways to upgrade security at the facility without messing up downtown Chillicothe the department decided to use the grant money to add steel paneling in-between the inside and outside walls. The panels give extra security without interfering with the look of the building and the downtown area. They will ensure that those being held in the jail can not carve out blocks of the walls and escape into the street. Currently, four cells at the jail already have this paneling, the grant money will allow the rest of the walls to receive the same protection.

Chief Deputy Sheriff T.J. Hollis said the steel paneling also helps to extend the life of the detention center. This is because steel has a longer lifespan compared to the block the facility is made of.

The project does not have an end date yet as bidding still needs to be done and a construction timeline needs to be completed. This upgrade is a separate project and is not connected with the recent jail renovation that were originally started in 2018. Lavender said the department plans on applying for many more grants in the future to maintain security and possibly build a different facility outside of the downtown area where they will be able to add fencing and other protective measures.

As part of this award DeWine also gave Darke County $1.8 million for security upgrades, Monroe County $329,000 for a sewer system project, Erie County $150,000 for a sewer system project, Highland County $179,000 for security upgrades and Pickaway County $902,000 for a sewer system project.

Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @Shelby_Reeves_

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Ross County Jail receives $1.6 million for security upgrades