The Baraga County Board of Commissioners heard from representatives of Heartland Security and Sydaptic, Inc. about proposals to provide a security camera system for the jail. Sheriff Joe Brogan said there are several places along the exterior and interior of the building that do not have good coverage.
Heartland provided a demo of its system.
Facial recognition can follow people throughout the building and vehicles can be tracked in a similar manner using exterior cameras. Sydaptic’s representative was available only for a question-and-answer session. He assured the board that his company’s cameras featured similar capabilities.
Heartland uses viewing stations with over 40-inch screens to display footage from their units. A license is required for each camera and each viewing station, significantly increasing the cost. With installation factored in, ten years of service for 26 cameras comes out to about $108,350.
Sydaptic provides 32 cameras and utilizes existing PCs, tablets, and other screens. A copy of the footage is kept locally, as well as in the cloud. The estimated cost ran to $62,532. Commissioner Lyle Olson made a motion to accept Sydaptic’s bid. It was supported by Gale Eilola and passed unanimously.
The board also voted to put out a request for bids to repair wallpaper and the tile roof at the courthouse. It voted to accept maternity leave for a member of the prosecutor’s office. Joe O’Leary said secretary Kelsey Olson doesn’t qualify for the Family Medical Leave Act due to not enough time served. She currently has $378 in paid time off accrued and will utilize that during a 30-day absence. The remaining portion of the term would be unpaid. Her due date is the 25th.
The last item of business was to approve the purchase of a new printer for $1,936 and a safe for $225.