News : Ferguson Outlines Plan For New Law Enforcement Center to Vinton Lions Club

The Vinton Lions Club held their regular Wednesday meeting at the Pizza Ranch. There were 44 members and 2 guests present. Member Pat Lyons introduced Benton County First Deputy Mike Ferguson. Deputy Ferguson shared the plans for the new Benton County Law Enforcement Center which is slated to begin construction next week.

Deputy Ferguson started his presentation with a brief history lesson about the flood of 2008, and thanked the community for the support they showed the Sheriff’s office during the flood. “The support we received from the community was overwhelming. We even had former inmates helping sandbag”, he said. “At one point, I turned around and a guy handed me a sandbag and said, ‘I bet you thought you’d never see me again’”. Ferguson said the Sheriff’s office handles nearly 3000 calls each month to the 911 dispatch center. Keeping that call center operational was vital to the community. “You call 911, it’s good to have somebody answer it, not get a dead line, or a busy signal”, he said. Ferguson said that within 28 minutes after the calls transferred to the backup lines, an ambulance call was handled.

According to Ferguson, the new Law Enforcement Center will house the same number of inmates as the last facility, but will have an entirely new and more functional floor plan. “It’s a pod design that allows the jailors to see the inmates at all times”. Ferguson said the new LEC is scheduled to start “full bore” construction next week, and they expect to be moved in within the next three years. In the meantime, minimum security inmates will continue to be housed at the old Lincoln school facility which has been in operation for the last 14 weeks.