FAYETTEVILLE -- The Washington County Road Department soon will install nine tracking and monitoring devices onto county dump trucks for the next two to three months, justices of the peace said Monday.
The move could be the first step to widespread monitoring of vehicles under several departments, said Justice of the Peace Harvey Bowman. Bowman is a Republican representing the far north-central part Washington County bordering Benton County. He's also the chairman of the Public Works Committee.
Company Information
Guard 4 Life, in Hot Springs, is a company that provides GPS tracking and monitoring services. Washington County is considering using the company, which provides services for sheriff’s offices, road departments, sanitation companies, police and others. A list of references provided to Washington County justices of the peace Monday includes Union and Cross counties.
Source: Staff Report
The trial use will allow the county to use Guard 4 Life services for free, Bowman said.
The company is a GPS tracking company in Hot Springs, said Amy Noble, office manager. The Road Department already has two devices and seven more will be mailed to them, Noble said.
Officials have been talking about tracking and monitoring county vehicles for months. The company offers tracking and monitoring services to other cities, counties and sheriff's offices, Noble said. Bowman talked about using the company during the committee meeting Monday.
Noble wasn't at the meeting Monday.
Bowman and others said they believe the service can save the county fuel costs by limiting speeding and idling time. The system also will make sure employees are not misusing equipment, Bowman said.
"I think it's about accountability," Bowman said.
The system could also show when drivers are driving correctly and limit liability to the county when there are accidents without witnesses, Bowman said.
The Road Department has 86 vehicles, which is the highest number outside the Sheriff's Office, Bowman said. Any expansion of the program will not include the Sheriff's Office for now, justices said.
The Sheriff's Office has its own separate system, Bowman said.
Bowman said county vehicles are paid for and maintained by taxpayer money and should be monitored.
The proposed system tracks breaking and speeding, Bowman said. Other services include notifying a supervisor when a vehicle leaves an area or goes to a location, Bowman said. Supervisors can access data via phone or computer and records can be retained for years, according to an email between Noble and Bowman.
A sensor costs $75 per vehicle with no installation fee and can be moved to other vehicles, Bowman said. Monitoring costs $25 per month per vehicle, he said.
The Road Department will bring back results after the trial run, Bowman said.
Justices said they hoped the system creates better employees and saved money. The county should make sure employees know the system is for them, said Justice of the Peace Bill Ussery, a Republican representing an area bordered by Thompson Street, Emma Avenue and U.S. 412 in western Springdale.
"It's not a club to beat someone to death," Ussery said. "It's something to help them do a better job."
NW News on 05/03/2016