New medical monitoring devices installed at Walker County Jail [Video]

WALKER COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) – The Walker County Sheriff’s Office installed new medical monitoring devices in the booking cells of the county jail.

11 medical devices are installed in the booking cells now. The sheriff says they monitor the heart rate and respiratory rate of whoever is inside. If either rate drops dramatically, an alarm is set off to notify corrections staff.

Sheriff Nick Smith says installing them in the booking area first is strategic.

“When inmates are arrested, they’re not always truthful when they come in about their medical history,” said Sheriff Smith. “They’re not always truthful if they swallowed some kind of illegal substance on a traffic stop. During that first two to three days that they’re in the facility, are their most vulnerable. Because we don’t know what they ingested coming into the facility, their overdose rates are higher when they come into the facility.”

The sheriff says he submitted a request back in Octoberto fund …