A proposal for the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office to buy equipment so it can listen in on telephone calls will have to wait another month, county commissioners decided Wednesday.
"We're trying our best to move Big Brother back, but he's mooving forward on us," Commissioner Greg Beck said.
Upon the advice of County Mayor Claude Ramsey, commissioners decided to hold off 30 days on whether to buy the $134,424 system, which would be funded by money the sheriff's narcotics division collects from auctioning seized items.
"I'd like the sheriff to have the tools he needs to fight crime," Mr. Ramsey said.
Mr. Beck and several other commissioners said they also want the sheriff to have appropriate tools, but they expressed doubts about providing the phone equipment to the sheriff's office because of the possibility of abuse.
Commissioner Larry Henry said it "harbors on criminal" for someone to listen in on the phone conversations of innocent people.
Chief Deputy Allen Branum assured commissioners that no one would be able to use the equipment without approval from the district attorney's office and a court order.
"This is done by very strict guidelines," he said.
Still, commissioners were hesitant.
Commissioner Richard Casavant said the "genie's out of the bottle on this" already, but the prospect of such surveillance "troubles me in many ways."
Chief Branum told commissioners that other law enforcement agencies already have the capacity to use such equipment and the county has joined in investigations using the equipment.
IN OTHER BUSINESSThe commission unanimously approved two resolutions to begin the last phase of renovations on the Hamilton County Courthouse. One, for no more than $54,224, is for mold abatement. The other, for no more than $2.6 million, is for interior renovations. The renovations to the nearly century-old building began in 2001.
Commissioner Fred Skillern suggested that the sheriff's office report back to the commission every six months on how the equipment is used. Most commissioners were agreeable to that, but Commissioner Jim Coppinger wondered if the commission had any authority to stop its use.
There was some disagreement among commissioners as to whether they had that authority.
County Attorney Rheubin Taylor could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.