By Joseph Cress
The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa.
CARLISLE, Pa. — Cumberland County commissioners last month approved spending up to $825,000 for a security system upgrade at the county prison.
The current Stanley Security system, which dates from 2012, is nearing the end of its life cycle, Warden Travis Shenk said Friday. Some parts are obsolete to where upkeep is no longer being supported by the manufacturer, he said.
“It’s not that we’re having any problems with it,” Shenk said. “But as we move along, the old analog cameras that we have are having a hard time being compatible with the new digital video systems that are out there now.
“The Stanley System controls all of our doors, gates, cameras and intercoms,” he said. “It keeps everybody in who’s supposed to be in and everybody out who’s supposed to be out.”
Money for the upgrade will be included in the upcoming 2023 county budget, Shenk said, adding that the line-item will include a contingency fund to use in case of unforeseen circumstances.
The county is working with a Stanley Security office out of Indiana to have company technicians assemble a mock-up of the replacement system offsite for eventual transfer to the prison in Middlesex Township. The upgrade could be installed in early March.
Having the upgrade already assembled allows for a smoother transition, Shenk said. “By the time they get it here, the main thing they’re going to have to do is put in our new cameras and monitors. This will not affect our ability to keep the gates, the doors and the intercom working.”
The current system was installed during an expansion project from 2009 to 2013 that included four new cell blocks for male inmates, two new cell blocks for female inmates and more space for the county work release program, Shenk said.