HENRIETTA, Mo. — Several Kansas City-area counties have received thousands for improvements to their local jails.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced Monday that 43 sheriff’s offices across the state have received over $9.9 million in grants for security and other improvements.
Kansas City-area counties like Clay, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette and Platte counties are among the recipients. Platte County, for example, received nearly $234,000 from the grant.
“As a former sheriff, I know how important it is for Missouri jails to have adequate security systems and updated equipment to help provide safety for deputies, jail personnel, and the communities they serve,” Parson said in a statement.
“These grants are an investment in jail infrastructure that will help provide better safety and working conditions in our jails across the state.”
The money will go toward work like cell door lock upgrades, video surveillance equipment, full-body scanners, HVAC improvements and other maintenance.
The funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act and was part of Parson’s budget plan. The grants require a 50% local match.
Here are the Kansas City-area counties that received grant funding:
- Clay County — $58,805
- Clinton County — $8,147
- Henry County — $19,449
- Jackson County — $161,465
- Johnson County — $119,500
- Lafayette County — $129,817
- Platte County — $233,879
- Saline County — $1,838,339
The news of the jail grants comes just a few days after two inmates escaped the Ray County jail. Both inmates have since been taken into custody.
Problems at the Ray County jail are well-documented. The inmates were able to escape after stabbing a correctional officer with a shank made out of metal from the jail’s crumbling walls.
Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers blames this issue and many others at the jail on outdated designs paired with poor construction.
Childers told FOX4. his office is in the process of also applying for a grant to help with improvements at the jail.
