Houston County to pay more than $200,000 to upgrade jails | WDHN

DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN) — The Houston County Jail is about to get what some are calling much-needed upgrades to the jail’s security systems.

On Thursday, the Houston County Commission announced the jail received an ADECA grant worth more than $1 million.

Although this grant covers most costs, the county will pay more than $200,000 of the remaining balance.

Houston County Commission Chairman Brandon Shoupe said he thinks the money intended for the jail could be used elsewhere.

“Well, prison is not something any elected official wants to spend money on, but it’s something we have to do,” Shoupe said. “$1.2 million is a lot of money, which I would honestly rather put into asphalt…It will just have to come out of the general fund, and it will impact everything and everyone.” »

In March, Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza told WDHN that he had been requesting new locks for the jail for years.

This happened after an inmate managed to break free from his cell and attack another inmate.

According to commission board member Ricky Herring, the grant won’t just be used for new automated locks.

Updated cameras and new alarms to alert officers of fleeing inmates will also be installed.

Herring raised the security situation with State Rep. Paul Lee and said none of this would be possible without Rep. Lee’s help.

“I explained the situation to Rep. Lee and laid out the facts. Rep. Lee then said to me, ‘Let me contact someone now,’” Hering said. “The other day we got a surprise saying, here’s a million dollars.”

Although the grant is an important step toward improving the prison’s security system, Shoupe says it will be months before everything is installed.