Sheriff pitches bid for kiosks
Thermometer system to be considered by Lake Co. Council
The Lake County Council will consider Tuesday a $23,560 bid for a thermometer kiosk system to monitor employees and visitors at the Lake County Sheriff ’s Department after Commissioners voted last week to set aside the request amid a lawsuit and pressing for more information about the purchase.
The council will consider creating a line item in its budget to purchase thermometer system kiosks on behalf of the Lake County Sheriff ’s Department after the Commissioners voted to table the purchase last week amid a lawsuit with the council and needing more information about the purchase.
According to a letter from Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez to the commissioners, he is recommending the highest bidder for the thermometer system kiosks. Officials for the council and the commissioners said the highest bidder recommendation isn’t an immediate concern — as department heads will occasionally recommend a bidder that isn’t the lowest — but the need for the kiosks is the crux of the issue.
While the council and commissioners are waiting for a judge’s decision to determine if the current veto and override procedure between the two branches is valid, nine Lake County Sheriff ’s Department purchases have recently been tabled. The sheriff ’s department recently sent the Post-Tribune documents detailing the need for each purchase.
Martinez attended the council’s Thursday study session meeting to ask for help in purchasing the thermometer kiosks to protect jail staff, inmates and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. At its November and December meetings, the commissioners voted to postpone action on the kiosks.
If the thermometer kiosk purchase is approved, the council will then decrease the sheriff ’s budget by that amount, Councilman Christian Jorgensen, R-St. John, previously said. Last Wednesday, the commissioners tabled nine sheriff ’s department purchases, including the eight kiosks from Spin Touch Inc. for $23,560.
According to a Nov. 10 letter from the sheriff to the commissioners, the eight thermometer system kiosks “to use at entrance locations for Lake County Sheriff ’s Department staff and jail staff, as well as entry locations monitored by Court Security staff.”
The letter lists estimates from three companies for eight kiosks: SpinTouch Inc. for $23,560, Touchboard.com for $21,560 and Stalker Radar Applied Concepts Inc. for $20,100.
In the letter, Martinez recommends SpinTouch Inc. because “this product is viewed as the best,” noting a secure stand, automated voice instruction, face mask recognition, alarm system and size.
Additionally, in a statement to the Post-Tribune, Martinez said the Food and Drug Administration issued guidelines in April to using telethermographic systems.
The thermometer kiosk will help keep people safe “because hundreds of people visit the sheriff ’s department and county complex daily, body temperature kiosks would be an important way of identifying members of the public, county employees and inmates who may have a fever before they enter our facilities,” Martinez said in the statement.
“Individuals determined to have a fever would be advised of the reading and asked to leave to help protect others. The kiosks allow for improved social distancing, which can help reduce health risks for personnel who administer temperature scans because personnel would not need to position themselves in close proximity to the person being tested,” Martinez said in the statement.
Commissioner President Michael Repay, D-3rd, said while recommending the highest bidder for the thermometer kiosks is a concern, his main concern with the kiosks is that the sheriff ’s department hasn’t communicated to the commission how the kiosks will be used.
Repay said he has questions about what temperature will be determined the base for turning people away, what would happen if someone has a high temperature but has to pay a bill at the government center, and how the county use will the kiosks after the pandemic ends.
“There’s so many questions with it,” Repay said.
Council President Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, said he will review the thermometer kiosks bid ahead of Tuesday’s meeting and talk to the sheriff about it. At Thursday’s meeting, Bilski said he was shocked the commissioners wouldn’t approve the thermometer kiosks amid a pandemic.
Bilski said the sheriff is spending within his budget, and that department heads do occasionally recommend bids that aren’t the lowest.
“We have, when it comes to hardware or software,” Bilski said, when asked about accepting bids that aren’t lowest.
The other eight items the sheriff would like to purchase include: a $49,780 boating package; a $21,000 automotive lift; a $36,003 police vehicle; a $16,775 two-person RV; a $9,455 drone with three batteries; a contract for $11,986.20 to purchase six forensic lights; a $16,875 contract for SharkFin antennas; and a $12,265 contract for 30 office chairs.
The boat package would buy a boat and trailer support water rescue, drowning victims and evidence recovery operations of the Lake County Sheriff ’s Underwater Recovery and Rescue Unit, according to sheriff department documents. Currently, there is no current watercraft in the Lake County Police Department’s inventory “that can be used to quickly, efficiently, effectively, and safely respond, deliver and deploy divers and equipment” for rescues, according to documents.
The $36,003 vehicle purchase is needed as part of the sheriff ’s annual replacement of 20 police vehicles in its fleet based on milage, wear and tear, according to documents from the department. To date, the department has been able to purchase 16 police vehicles, and it would like to acquire one more police vehicle, according to documents.
The department would like to purchase a new automotive lift for the police garage because the current equipment is damaged, according to documents.
The four-wheeler purchase for $16,775 is needed because the department has multiple all-terrain vehicles that are over 15 years old and at the end of their service life, according to documents. The purchase would maintain the department’s current fleet and “increase the equipment’s capacity and capability,” according to the documents.
The drone would be used by the department “as a routine tool during search and rescue ops, as a surveillance platform, and as a safety and security resource,” according to documents. The six forensic lights are portable evidence detection lights that would be used by the Lake County Sheriff ’s Crime Lab and Crime Scene Investigators, according to documents, to identify, process and collect evidence.
The antennas would be used through the routers in police cars, according to documents. The department needs 30 office chairs are needed to replace broken chairs, according to documents.
Martinez said, in the statement and the council meeting, that his department has requested to meet with the commissioners multiple times to discuss the nine purchases.
“In addition, they never asked us any questions about these items during meetings. We remain ready to meet with commissioners to discuss any concerns they may have and answer any questions regarding these purchase requests,” Martinez said.
Repay said he has talked with Martinez about the purchases, and that the commissioners prefer requests in writing.
“I’d rather have his presentation in writing. I’m not opposed to talking, we’ve talked in the past,” Repay said.