In other action, new video visitation will be provided under a jail service agreement approved by Riley County Law Board members Monday. The new provider of the trust accounting software and inmate kiosks is Turnkey, with the cost only to inmate accounts.
Board member Mike Dodson had some questions about the services being provided, saying it’s sounding like they’re providing an entertainment system, with access to music. Dodson also wondered about monitoring inmate communications.
Riley County Police Captain Kurt Moldrup indicated he appreciated Dodson’s worries but explained such services are provided in many larger jails,adding “we have to provide an ability for inmates to have contact with the outside world.” And Moldrup stressed they’re not reading every email and text–he indicated there’s a list of words that might trigger their attention, such as the word “escape.”
Law Board Counsel Mike Gillispie also told the board he was comfortable with the document and had no problem recommending board members sign it, adding concerns about monitoring communications were taken care of. Several lawsuits recently have dealt with such communications, involving federal inmates and correspondence with their defense attorneys being shared with others…
Director Schoen also told Riley County Law Board members Monday it will be at least a month before they will see a memorandum of understanding regarding a radio system user agreement. While the item was on the group’s Monday agenda for possible action, Director Schoen explained the MOU involving the law board, Riley County, and city of Manhattan won’t be available until after the main document is ready–and that’s in Riley County’s hands.
Law Board members were also briefed by one of their own board members Mike Dodson, who is serving on the ad hoc subcommittee formed after October’s law board meeting dealing with marijuana and perceived racial bias in the policing of it. Dodson describes the dialogue as “great” just around that one topic. He adds definitions were another key aspect of what the group examined.
