Ashe County celebrates state-of-the-art jail

By Jason King
Assistant Communications Director

The only thing that could slow down the opening of Ashe County's Law Enforcement Complex was Mother Nature. The new $11.9 million Law Enforcement Center and its adjoining detention facility was completed under budget and roughly three months ahead of schedule, but county officials had to twice postpone an open house due to heavy snow before finally getting the opportunity to show off the state-of-the-art facility Feb. 12.

County officials left no stone unturned in their quest to ensure the project was as cost-effective as possible. Most of the furniture in the three-story Law Enforcement Center, which houses the Sheriff's Department and offices for the N.C. Highway Patrol, the Division of Motor Vehicles, 911 dispatch and communications, and the magistrate, came from Lowe's – and not the way you might think.

Lowe's President and CEO Larry Stone, with whom the county has enjoyed a long relationship, allowed county officials to pick out rooms of furniture from the home improvement company's old headquarters in Wilkesboro.

"Once we got it up here, Larry said, 'we'll just donate that to the county,'" said County Manager Dan McMillan. "The mover estimated it at about $80,000 worth of furniture."

Another item – a stainless steel refrigerator in the Sheriff's Office break room – was recovered as stolen property during a drug raid on a house.

Even with some hand-me-downs, the complex fits in nicely on a county campus in Jefferson that includes the courthouse and Agricultural Services building. In addition to offices, the 30,000-square-foot Law Enforcement Center includes a booking office, holding cells, interview and monitoring rooms, evidence storage, a training center, male and female locker rooms and workout areas, and lots of unfinished space on the third floor for expansion.

In the detention facility, inmates are monitored through a state-of-the-art audio/video system that sends data to separate control rooms on the male and female sides of the facility.

There's a video arraignment room, allowing for remote hearings, and communication between visitors and inmates is handled through video visitation modules.

Gone are vending machines: Inmates will now log into a vending kiosk that keeps track of their available spending money and allows them to order snacks and other amenities. Friends and family can deposit money into an inmate's account when they visit.

The 35,000-square-foot detention facility represents a sorely needed upgrade from the old jail. Chief Jailor Sharon Price said that the old facility was meant to accommodate 17 inmates but has housed as many as 52.

"We're going from 17 beds to 162, so it's a major change for us," she said.