Our class met Tuesday at the Sherburne County Law Enforcement Center and Jail facility in Elk River.

Captain Dan Andren began by giving us an overview of the jail system and procedures. We went on a tour of the various offices and departments and took a close look at the Sgt. Jim Mordal’s firing range, Sgt. Jason Volkers’ training room with a mock cell set up,  and the physical fitness center.

Jail Commander Pat Carr and Major Brian Frank gave an excellent presentation on the jail. We watched a video on the importance of jails in the community, how the public can influence decisions that are made, and why citizens should be aware of important issues so that they can make informed recommendations. We saw a slide show of the Sherburne jail. I am very impressed with the high level of technology available to our law enforcement officers and emergency personnel in Sherburne County. The meeting room we met in is also the Emergency Operations Center that can be quickly activated when necessary, such as an event at the Monticello Nuclear plant. There are computer workstations available for all of the various groups that would take part in handling an emergency. We also saw the less-lethal weapons that would be used to control inmates who were causing problems.

The last thing we did was to tour the jail itself. Our group was led by Jail Administrator, Angela Knutson. We saw two different pods were inmates housed. Things work the same way as they do with raising children–they more well-behaved they are, the more priviledges they receive. One benefit the jail staff has is that their reputation precedes them–the inmates pass the word about consequences for bad behavior and most inmates think before they act!

One of the most intriguing places we visited was the Control Center where all of the operations of the jail are monitored and where the doors are controlled. There are 173 security cameras in the complex, so escaping would definitely be difficult! The jail has a capacity of 667 inmates, so a well-defined protocol is necessary to keep things running smoothly.

I was not able to take pictures of the more sensitive areas of the jail, but here are some of the ones I did take: