Whitley Fiscal Court approves bid to purchase dual body scanner for Whitley County Detention Center

The Whitley County Detention Center should soon be more secure in regard to keeping illegal items from entering the facility.

As part of a project spearheaded by Whitley County Jailer Jason Wilson, the Whitley County Fiscal Court awarded a bid during their regular monthly meeting last week for a dual body scanner to be purchased and installed at the jail. 

Inmates often find creative ways to get contraband into the jail, though the scanner will help keep those items out. The scanner can be used to help detect a variety of potential contraband items on a person, including both drugs and weapons. 

Judge-Executive Pat White said that he felt adding the scanner would provide additional security the jail needs.

“A couple counties around us have had pretty good success with those scanners—Harlan County and Laurel County both use them. I think it will be a great improvement to our facility,” said White.

The bid for the new scanner was awarded to Romaine Companies at a cost of $174,513.

That price also includes any and all training for jail staff to learn how to use the equipment. The scanner has already been ordered and is expected to arrive in the coming weeks. It should be fully operational in the next two to three months, once staff have been trained.

In other fiscal court business:

– A renewal of an option agreement to purchase the old Nevisdale Elementary School was approved by magistrates. 

White said the renewal was necessary because the county still had not acquired the necessary funds to facilitate the purchase. A grant that the county applied for last year to pay for the building was not received, but the county has applied for another grant in hopes of being approved.

The school would be turned into a 100-bed substance abuse recovery center for men.  

In 2016, the Whitley County School District sold the building for $35,526 to Danny and Vickie Rickett, who still own the building.

The school district quit using the building in 2007 after the opening of Whitley East Elementary School, which merged the Nevisdale and the old Poplar Creek Elementary School. Poplar Creek was torn down in part to make room for parking for Whitley East.

Since that time, the building has been used as a community center by at least two different groups, including the Christian Appalachian Project and the KEN-TENN Relief Team.

The building has about 10 classrooms, a kitchen and about seven acres of land.