Surveillance cameras at Vermilion Parish jail need maintenance

There are just under 200 surveillance cameras at the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center, but not all of them work 100 percent of the time.
Over the last 10 years, the Police Jury has been purchasing cameras to place inside and outside of the jail.
Some cameras are as old as 10 years old while others are only two years old.
Because of 24 hour use, seven days a week, some of the electronic cameras stop working. Sometimes the entire camera goes out, while other times the video part works but the audio part of the cameras suddenly stops working.
The Police Jury is responsible for repairing or replacing the cameras because the Police Jury owns the building the jail is housed in.
Roberta Boudreaux, who is the liaison between the Sheriff’s Office and Police Jury dealing with the jail, approached the Police Jury Wednesday at a committee meeting. She explained to the jurors the camera issues at the jail and was requesting if she can search for someone to maintain the cameras all year long.
The cameras are all out of warranty.
Boudreaux said she would like to search for quotes from companies who can create a year-long service contract repair or replace some of the cameras in order to get all of them operating 100 percent.
The Police Jury approved her to search for quotes to repair the broken cameras and create a service contract with a company.
Col. Kirk Frith, the warden of the jail, said that the cameras are important because they serve two purposes.
He said they keep an eye on the police officers working in the jail making sure he or she are doing their job properly by documenting everything.
On the flip side, the cameras also keep an eye on the prisoners and document their moves.