MOUNT VERNON — Recent renovations at the Knox County Dog Shelter included installing new NDAA-compliant security cameras.
The new cameras stem from the Secure Equipment Act of 2021. The SEA extends the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which prohibits governments from using equipment made by Chinese and Russian manufacturers.
Chips made by Chinese manufacturers have a back door that allows the manufacturer to collect data from the cameras.
“When we took the old cameras down, there really was no reason to put them up and then take them down again later, so we swapped theirs out now,” County Administrator Jason Booth explained.
County IT Director Kyle Webb said the county has about 200 cameras in its facilities. The IT department will inventory the cameras, noting their age and type.
“Then we’ll be able to put a cost estimate together, and we’ll determine when and how to replace them,” Booth said. “The government says you have to have [the NDAA-compliant ones], but they realize you can’t do it all at once.”
“I haven’t read that there’s a hard cut-off, but they have said that from now on you shouldn’t buy any equipment from the forbidden list,” Webb said.
Prohibited manufacturers include Huawei, ZTE Corporation, Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision, and Dahua Technology.
Booth said the county will probably cycle out the current cameras throughout 2024. The estimated cost is $250,000.
Federal grant money is available to help cover the cost, but the county must have an accurate cost before deciding whether to competitively bid the entire project or replace the equipment in phases.
The Board of Elections installed NDAA-compliant security cameras when it switched to its new website and .gov URL.
Knox County Dog Shelter
Fifty dogs entered the dog shelter in March, and 54 transferred out. The 54 includes 25 adoptions. As of April 18, the shelter housed 23 dogs; 19 are available for adoption. Officers issued 21 citations during the month.
Knox County Sheriff’s Office
As of April 25, the jail’s population was 69. Sheriff David Shaffer reported that the jail is in the final stages of hiring a mental health worker.
Calls for service so far this year total 3,464. In 2023 at this time, calls totaled 3,272.
Five deputies completed CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) training. Deputy Tony McFarland received the Knox County 2023 CIT award.
Regarding staffing, one deputy starts on May 1. Four candidates are in the academy.
The KCSO is looking to buy new radios as the current 10-year-old Motorolas are nearing their end of life. Additionally, Motorola will stop servicing them at the end of this year.
The accessories for one of the upgrade models the KCSO is considering match the current equipment.
The KCSO plans to begin auctioning firearms and ammunition the Bureau of Criminal Investigation confiscated from the Wilhelm estate. The auctions will likely be held weekly.