(file photo)

Reno County Commissioners did give approval to install better security systems in the courthouse, but wouldn’t go along with the more expensive system desired by Reno County Sheriff Randy Henderson.

Commissioners approved having County Administrator Gary Meagher pursue a new system for the courthouse which has discussed security concerns for many years. County Commission Chairman James Schlickau told the sheriff Tuesday morning that he can’t justify the nearly 70-thousand dollars for the key pad security system.

He says even though there is money left over at the end of the year doesn’t mean they need to spend it. That matches the same argument that Commissioner Dan Deming made when the idea was first brought to the commission by both sheriff and Clerk of the the District Court Pam Moses. It’s left over funds from the District Court Budget that would be used.

The system the commission is looking at would require keys, but would cost considerably less then key pad type system sought by the sheriff. The key system would cost less then 23-thousand dollars, where the key pad system was well over 62-thousand dollars.

But, as we told you last week, Sheriff Henderson was concerned because in an emergency, the pad system is much more efficient for officers trying to get into what they call safe rooms, or ones that can be locked down, plus it can be controlled by the under sheriff from his computer in the sheriff’s office, and can be locked or unlocked quickly as opposed to deputies having the thumb around to find the correct key, or even remembering to grab them when they run from the sheriff’s office in the City-County Law Enforcement Center down a long hallway to the courthouse.