Latest news with #RedstoneArsenal
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Lauderdale County Detention Center adds two additions to jail to enhance safety for officers and inmates
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — The Lauderdale County Detention Center recently added a new lock system to jail cell doors and a new system called 'Guardian' to keep track of inmates. Locked in and no way out, a new state-of-the-art lock system is on every jail cell door inside the Lauderdale County Detention Center. Gold Star families honored on Redstone Arsenal Sheriff Joe Hamilton said the original locks had been used since the 1960s, so it was time to upgrade. 'We had a problem with some of the locks being popped inside of the jail, so we have come in and placed a more secure locking system inside the hallways where the cells are,' Hamilton said. The Lauderdale County Detention Center recently got the guardian system, which helps corrections officers keep track of over 300 inmates. Director of Corrections Matt Burbank said the Guardian system allows officers to stay on top of their responsibilities for inmates. Alabama DCNR euthanizes alligator acting 'abnormally' in South Huntsville neighborhood 'It's designed to make sure everybody gets what they're supposed to get, making sure everyone is getting their proper food with the calorie intake, make sure they're getting medicine, their commissary if they want it, all that is now digitally logged,' Burbank said. This is how it works, each inmate wears a wristband, that wristband is then used by the system to monitor where they go and what they do inside the jail. Burbank said with the new system, they can make sure each inmate in the cell receives their meal each day. Sheriff Hamilton said it also tracks when an inmate needs their medication or treatment. 'If someone is in a cell that may have a medical condition that may be on an elevated risk level the device will alert the corrections officer to check, even if they're busy, they'll get that alert that it's been 15 minutes to go check on this person then they'll scan and load it into the system,' Hamilton said. Burbank said after Vicky White helped Casey White escape from the jail back in 2022, they continue to take new steps to crack down on security. 'It was very unsafe for the officers for other inmates because inmates have a lot of time to study stuff, and these locks were built in the 90s, so the new engineering just makes it safer for the inmates and my staff,' Burbank said. Burbank also mentioned that more additions to the jail are in the works to continue the safety and wellbeing of staff and inmates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama congressional delegation on proposed federal workforce cuts
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — President Donald Trump this week signed an executive order that directs the new Department of Government Efficiency to start preparing for large-scale reductions in the federal workforce. Redstone Arsenal has an estimated 45,000 workers – including 27,000 civilian employees and more than 17,000 contractors. 8th grader detained as school officials, police investigate possible threat at Austin Junior High The executive order says it does not apply to military personnel and that agency heads can exempt personnel they deem necessary for national security, homeland security or public safety. Beyond that, few details have emerged on the size and location of the cuts. Alabama U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville told News 19 this week he thinks future cuts will 'affect a lot of people in the federal government.' Tuberville also said he expects future military spending cuts. 'The one thing that's going to happen in our state is we're a military state. We do it a lot of things military-wise from the federal government that will be assessed. Pete Hegseth, the new Secretary of Defense, has said he wants those to come in and look at the spending that we have, where it's going, who is going to? 'Are we getting our money's worth? And we have to do that. We cannot continue to spend and let money go out the door like it's going right now are we will not have a country.' HPD opens fraud investigation into Huntsville College Preparatory School Alabama U.S. Sen. Katie Britt's provided a statement Thursday evening. Britt said Trump is seeking to root out waste and fraud. 'In my meetings with members of President Trump's team, from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to FBI Director nominee Kash Patel, I have touted Alabama's second-to-none capabilities that are instrumental to combatting the threats of the future,' Britt said. 'From Marshall Space Flight Center to FBI's operations on Redstone Arsenal, I will continue to highlight how Alabamians will play a strategic role in our national security and defense long into the future.' News 19 reached out to North Alabama Congressmen Dale Strong and Robert Aderholt. U.S. Rep. Strong, R-5th District, did not reply to News 19's requests for comment on the proposed federal workforce cuts. A spokesman for Aderholt, R-4th District, responded Thursday afternoon. 'As we previously said, we don't expect North Alabama to be impacted to any large degree by cuts or buyouts. President Trump's primary focus is on the large bureaucracy that exits in the Washington, D.C. area.' News 19 asked if they had any estimates on likely reductions. Aderholt's office said they haven't received any information on that. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
