BOZEMAN – The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office is asking the Gallatin County Commission for close to half a million dollars for upgrades to the Detention Center.
Some of the upgrades the sheriff’s office is asking for include 18 beds, an updated camera and technology software, and a body scanner that alone would cost close to $170,000.
Undersheriff Dan Springer said these upgrades along with a few others would allow the jail to be less liable because the cameras would have clearer video.
“We want to stay proactive. We want to do things that are safe for the inmates as well as safe for the officers,” said Springer.
The jail currently has 160 beds but wants to add another 18 due to the county’s growth and ability to house inmates from other counties. County Commissioner Steve White said the money would not come from taxpayer dollars but from the revenue collected from renting out cells to other counties.
“That is what this money is,” said White. “So it is not coming from the taxpayers of Gallatin County. The source of it is coming from other jurisdictions that are utilizing our facility.”
“That has been the goal of this facility all along, is to have revenue and bed space available to other agencies, bill them, and then use them for the upgrades so we are not having to go back to the taxpayers,” said Springer.
White says over the years the jail has generated about $3 million in revenue that it has saved for upgrades and future expansions.
The commission plans to make a decision and give the Sheriff’s Office an answer by Spring of 2019.
Reporting by Mederios Babb for MTN News
