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Ga. jail has 30 days to fix locks, fire alarms, or else face shutdown

The jail in Floyd County has less than 30 days to fix door locks and fire alarm systems or else face a possible shut down of the prison

By C1 Staff

FLOYD COUNTY, Ga. — The jail in Floyd County has less than 30 days to fix door locks and fire alarm systems or else face a possible shut down of the prison.

The jail is currently undergoing upgrades to place biometrics on the doors, but problems with the facility’s door controls have been an ongoing issue since a mock fire drill in 2012, according to the Northwest Georgia.

During that training exercise, the inability to electronically open fire doors was listed as a reason why an evacuation was impossible.

The repairs could be covered under the 2013 SPLOST package that is currently facilitating the biometrics update inside the facility, according to County Manager Jamie McCord.

In the three years since the evacuation drill, jail officials have asked the county commission to fund the repair in the jail’s annual maintenance budget, but have had it cut before the budget was approved.

County Sheriff Tom Burkhalter believes the necessary repairs can be made within the next month if funding becomes available.

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