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Reno County spending money to keep jail smelling good

By Associated Press - | Mar 26, 2015

? To retain that new jail smell, Reno County plans to buy equipment that will vacuum-seal clothing worn by arriving inmates.

County commissioners on Tuesday approved spending more than $10,000 to buy the CPI Guardian Inmate Clothing Storage System, which includes vacuum-sealed bags for the clothing worn by people when they arrive, The Hutchinson News reported.

The idea came up when a jail committee visited the Ford County jail, where the lack of odor was noticeable, Sheriff Randy Henderson said. The system’s bags make the clothing easier to store and “the vacuum kills bacteria,” Henderson said.

“It’s a bit pricey,” Henderson said, “but the only other option is a washer and dryer, and I don’t want us to get in the business of washing inmates’ clothes.”

Besides the $8,295 machine to be shipped from Clearwater, Florida, the county is buying eight cases of 18- by 28-inch plastic vacuum bags and six cases of 22- by 34-inch bags, at $156 per case. Shipping brings the total to $10,411.

The commissioners also approved a $63,878 bid for furniture and office equipment and $11,940 for video kiosks for the correctional facility’s lobby and video inmate arraignments. And 10 kiosks will be placed inside the secured part of the jail, one for each housing pod, Henderson said, with another 10 kiosks will be added to the visitors’ area to connect to the internal kiosks.