News Photo by Julie Riddle Deputy Nathanael Leeseberg of the Alcona County Sheriff’s Department demonstrates a new laptop recently installed in his patrol vehicle. The computer was one of several new advances in technology added to the department in recent months.

HARRISVILLE — Being a small county in remote northern Michigan doesn’t mean being behind the times when it comes to technology, at least not for the Alcona County Sheriff’s Department.

Alcona County, ranking 75th in the state with its 10,000-some residents, proudly bills itself as “First of 83” on its flag and county publicity. Alphabetically at the top of the state’s pecking order, Alcona County strives to “keep up with the big boys” in terms of technology for its law enforcement officials, as well, officials said.

Undersheriff Scott Stephenson is enthusiastic about some new improvements to the technology incorporated into the county’s jail and in deputies’ vehicles under his care. Improvements in the past year and months have made it possible for his deputies to do their job more effectively and efficiently, he said, increasing their ability to keep the community safe.

John Hartley, information technology director for multiple organizations within the county, is a one-man department. Surrounded by computer screens in his small office in the bowels of the county building, Hartley said his goal is to make the county’s technology “easier, faster, more reliable, and more secure.”

Before moving to Alcona County five years ago, Hartley owned a company downstate that provided tech service for 40 to 50 businesses. His work with the county keeps him just as busy, Hartley said.

Two of Hartley’s latest projects have been overseeing an upgrade of the camera system at the county jail and obtaining new in-vehicle computers for sheriff’s deputies.

JAIL CAMERAS

A new system of cameras was added to the Alcona County jail to increase safety and address security concerns. The last of the high-tech, internet-based cameras were installed last week, according to Jail Administrator George Schrader. The new system replaces an outdated coaxial system, offering clearer images, wider camera angles, and an improved ability to store data long-term. The cameras also record sound, a first for the jail and an important safety feature.

Each jail cell contains two or three cameras, preventing the blind spots that have been problematic in the past. Last summer, an in-cell camera saved a life when a deputy spotted a suicide attempt in progress and was able to stop it, Schrader said.

Cameras are also located in the hallways to track the comings and goings of inmates and officers. The cameras start recording when they detect movement, and the data is stored in a remote server, where it can be accessed and used as evidence, if needed.

The amount of data being stored “has grown leaps and bounds,” Hartley said — an expected increase, given the increased quality and quantity of new video images being captured. While the newness of the system means that storage time is still an unknown, Stephenson is hopeful that data will be saved for 45 days, with the option of permanently retaining any video needed for evidence in a separate storage system.

While he was emphatic about its value to the jail in terms of safety and usability, Schrader was uncertain about the total cost of the camera system and accompanying software.

“It was well worth it, whatever it was,” Schrader said. A hands-on administrator, Schrader ran the internet lines for the cameras himself, handling the installation with the assistance of Hartley and the jail’s maintenance director to save money for the county.

IN-CAR COMPUTERS

Inside a well-equipped Ford Explorer, sheriff Deputy Nathanael Leesberg showed off the latest technological addition to the county’s fleet of law enforcement vehicles, a sturdy-looking Dell Rugged Laptop mounted to the right of the driver’s seat. A replacement to the previous generation of tablets being used by deputies for the past five years, the Dell devices are a convertible laptop that can be used as either a touchscreen computer or as a smaller tablet with an onscreen keyboard.

Six of the laptops and mounting equipment were recently purchased for the county using a $32,000 federal Homeland Security grant, according to Stephenson, the undersheriff. Leeseberg received his new equipment two or three weeks ago and has been pleased with its usability and safety features.

Having a fully-functional, Windows-based computer at his fingertips helps increase public safety, Leesberg said. Patrolling deputies can quickly log traffic stops, sending ticketing information via Bluetooth to a wireless printer that prints tickets instantly, getting all parties on their way and off the shoulder of the road as quickly as possible.

With the new equipment, deputies have constant and reliable access to the law enforcement programs needed to fulfill their duties while they are out in the community.

The low-profile configuration of the Toughbook when it’s in tablet mode keeps it out of the sightline of the person in the driver’s seat, allowing deputies to pull over and get caught up on their reporting without putting themselves in danger by having their sightlines blocked.

As rugged as the deputies who use them, the in-vehicle laptops are made to survive drops, vibration, humidity, extreme temperatures, and rough handling. The screens are made to be visible even in direct sunlight, and the entire unit can be removed from the vehicle and used to photograph a crash scene.

“They’re bigger, badder, faster than our old ones,” Hartley said, demonstrating the flip-screen capabilities of the new devices. He hopes to get five years’ use out of the laptops, a lengthy lifespan, in technology years.

New software programs to assist with booking inmates and logging traffic stops have also been added to the Sheriff’s Department’s resources, recently, increasing the efficiency of the deputies who are always looking for ways to do their jobs more effectively.

Stephenson has interest in adding car cams and body cams to his department’s arsenal of technology, but, for now, that will be cost-prohibitive.

“It would help out our deputies drastically, but it’s one of those things that we’re probably going to need some grant money to help us do it,” Hartley said.

Funding would need to cover not only the cost of the cameras but additional storage space to house that recorded data, as well. In the meantime, the new server is doing its job of holding onto the important information gathered by the Sheriff’s Department.

“It’s eating up the storage quickly, but, hopefully, it’s good for a couple of years,” Hartley said. “And then we’ll figure out what to do after that.”

Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693 or jriddle@thealpenanews.com.