Kootenai County focuses on camera upgrade

COEUR d'ALENE — Kootenai County commissioners believe it's time to keep a sharper eye on the courthouse campus.

An increase in crime and a surveillance system that's more than 10 years old have the board exploring an upgrade.

"We have a lot of citizen and employee traffic coming and going every day," said Commissioner Bob Bingham, who brought the idea to the board on Monday. "My concern is for them."

Shawn Riley, the county's Buildings and Grounds director, said there are five outdoor cameras and six indoor cameras on the campus. He said he believes both the quality and quantity of the equipment needs to be increased.

Riley said there has been an increase in crime around the campus, including hit-and-run incidents, suspects threatening others before court, fights and gas siphoning.

Unfortunately, he said, some suspects have not been caught due to the lack of the system’s quality. Critical information may have been caught on tape but wasn't clear enough to present in court. Others have been caught, including a graffiti suspect after the Fourth of July four years ago.

Commissioner Chris Fillios agreed with Bingham that an upgrade should be explored. Commissioner Marc Eberlein was not present at the meeting.

Fillios and Bingham instructed Grant Kinsey, the county's information technology manager, to speak with companies that set up security systems to get the ball rolling on a proposal. They also plan to propose setting aside $15,000 to $30,000 for the next budget for engineering the new system.

If approved, installation could begin in the fiscal 2018 budget and be done in phases. A new system could cost between $150,000 and $300,000, depending on the features.