Campbell County Commission passes security upgrades to jail after 4 inmate deaths in a year

JACKSBORO, Tenn. (WVLT) - As a year that had four people die inside the Campbell County Jail comes to a close, county leaders considered a major upgrade when it comes to the jail’s security.

Monday, the Campbell County Commission voted to approve a more than $1,400,000 contract with Electronic Contracting Company in Nebraska to add more than 30 additional security cameras to the jail.

“I believe we’ve got every square foot of this facility covered with this new camera system,” said Sheriff Wayne Barton prior to the vote.

The upgrade is one Sheriff Barton said the jail is in desperate need of. This year, four people have died inside the jail, and fights have broken out between inmates and corrections officers.

Barton said in many cases, the inmates know exactly the places where there aren’t cameras or a camera that works, which leads to a dead end in many investigations.

“Anyone that’s ever accused an inmate of not being smart has never been around inmates. They know exactly where those spots are and learn when shifts change and the habits of corrections officers,” said Barton.

Sheriff Barton said this project would likely be the biggest thing he’s done since becoming sheriff.

On top of additional cameras, the contract also addresses repairing faulty doors and locks as well as giving jail staff more places to monitor the cameras they have.