By Monroe Roark
Times Correspondent
The Henry County Police Department is getting two robots to help keep flesh-and-blood officers out of harm’s way.
The Board of Commissioners voted October 6 to approve a $68,400 expenditure for two Transcend Tactical VANTAGE 3 robots with accessories for the police department’s SWAT team, which has been involved in recent years in several violent incident which required the use of robots borrowed from other agencies. According to officials, these machines will “provide real-time information, communication and officer safety when dealing with violent individuals who intend to harm law enforcement personnel and others.” They are waterproof and equipped with heat sensors and night vision.
Another HCPD unit is getting help in the form of a $174,557.20 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The money is designated for the Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) unit, which enforces DUI laws, traffic laws and occupant safety laws with a focus on implementing ways to reduce impaired driving, speed-related injuries and abilities, and educate citizens on the importance of occupant safety.
The HEAT unit, which consists of one sergeant and three officers, has participated in the GOHS program for a number of years and won numerous awards. The grant money will fund enforcement hours, travel, regular operating expenses and equipment purchases for three officers. No local match is required.
In other business, the county’s Public Safety Complex is getting a new roof at a cost of $1,469,707. The contract was approved at the request of the county’s facilities maintenance department, which cited a severe need for the repair. The roof replacement will include a 30-year warranty, according to a county staff report. The money for the work will come from the county’s capital projects fund. Also approved for the facilities maintenance department was an outside contract for mowing/ landscape services to provide fast service when demand is higher than can be met by in-house personnel.
Technological upgrades are coming to nine county-owned buildings in downtown McDonough, including the courthouse. The commissioners voted to approve a $99,974.80 expenditure for ComTech to replace old and weathered multimode fiber optic cable and upgrade it to single mode fiber optic cabling. It will be routed directly from the Superior Court building to eight other buildings, including other courts, the District Attorney and public defender offices, and the elections and registration department. The new system is expected to greatly enhance network security and speed for county facilities, according to officials, and there will be no down time during the repair process.
