The Platte County Sheriff’s Office will receive federal assistance to add virtual courtroom facilities to the county courthouse.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) program allows for infrastructure improvement related to mitigation of COVID-19, or future pandemic, risks.
Currently the county has two machines used for virtual court and virtual attorney visits, which limits how many can take advantage of the facilities at a time. The grant will allow for six machines – one for each division of the court – and allow easier access to the facilities.
District commissioner Joe Vanover praised sheriff Mark Owen for his work to apply for the nearly $500,000 in grand funds.
“Sheriff Mark Owen’s quick action to find and apply for a state grant to pay for half of the cost to build a video conference room at the jail will save the county over $200,000,” Vanover said. “Going to court by video conference is the future. Platte County courts made a hard and fast adjustment during Covid to allow people to go to court without driving to Platte City. We are now benefiting from having significantly fewer people walking in and out of our courthouse for short court appearances.”
Also funded through ARPA is a nearly $39,000 grant award allowing the purchase of body cameras for officers, with the county chipping in about $20,000 in matching funds.
An additional $20,000 grant was approved allowing the county to acquire another canine officer, after the retirement of Ares, who left service in part due to the passage of recreational marijuana in Missouri. The new canine officer, Max, has already been selected and is in training.