Inmates in Adams County are going to be watched more closely in the future. Thanks to a $60,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, a new surveillance or closed circuit television system is being installed at the Adams County jail.

&uot;I think it’s going to make a lot of the inmates feel better about being here because they’re going to feel safer,&uot; said Danny Rollins, jail administrator.

The new system includes new tamper resistant cameras for all the cell blocks at the jail, which can hold 140 inmates and is now at about half capacity, Rollins said.

The jail has always had a surveillance system, but time and damage have taken its toll on it, Rollins said.

&uot;So the majority of it was kind of inoperable,&uot; Rollins said.

With the new system in place, jailers will be able to watch inmates more closely which in turn adds to safer conditions and perhaps fewer disagreements among inmates.

&uot;It’s going to tremendously help the management of the jail,&uot; Rollins said. &uot;Just the inmates knowing they are being monitored I think will diffuse a lot of situations.&uot;

Adams County Sheriff Tommy Ferrell said he thinks the new equipment will be a useful tool in preventing problems among the inmates.

&uot;Hopefully with cameras you’ll have less and less of that because they’ll know they’re being watched,&uot; Ferrell said.

Access Control System of Pearl is installing the new surveillance system, which is one of many the Adams County Sheriff’s Department has funded through grants.

To Ferrell that is the beauty to these type of programs.

&uot;These grants (provide) the latest in technology (and) cost the taxpayers nothing,&uot; Ferrell said.

Since 1995, the Adams County Sheriff’s Department has received more than $582,000 in grants, not counting about $243,000 each year for the past 11 years to fund Natchez-Adams Metro Narcotics.

Adams County has been able to use these grant dollars, plus technology provided through its inmate phone system contract, to acquire technology it would not otherwise be able to afford, Ferrell said.

An examples of ways the funding has been spent in the past includes $31,000 in laptop computers for use by deputies in writing reports. It also has been used to improve communication with upgrades to the sheriff’s department’s phone system and to purchase new radio equipment for deputies.

&uot;Communication is the backbone of law enforcement,&uot; Ferrell said.

It is just as important as two other essentials of law enforcement to be able to shoot and move, Ferrell said.

&uot;If we can’t do the three basics – shoot, move and communicate – then we’re not effective,&uot; Ferrell said.

In the future, the sheriff’s department also plans to use the grant funding for other projects, including upgrading the central radio room, upgrading the phone system to allow for recording of all calls and to buy more laptops.

Ferrell said these changes are necessary if the Adams County Sheriff’s Department is to function as a modern and efficient agency.

&uot;One of my goals as sheriff has been to try to stay on top of the latest technology,&uot; Ferrell said.