Etowah County Detention Center Completes Major Exterior Security Upgrades, Reports Sharp Drop in Contraband and Overdoses
GADSDEN, Ala. — The Etowah County Detention Center has finished a series of exterior security upgrades credited with dramatically reducing contraband smuggling and improving safety for staff and inmates.
The facility, which opened in 1993 and houses 865 beds in its main building and another 112 in an annex, has long been situated on a downtown street corner with no physical barriers on three sides. That layout allowed individuals to approach exterior walls and introduce narcotics into the jail.
In 2022, Sheriff Jonathon Horton, with funding and support from the Etowah County Commission, launched a plan to fortify the perimeter. Work included installing 16-foot-tall Constantine fencing along 9th Street and the side of the jail adjacent to the Etowah County Judicial Building. A protective metal awning with engineered spike strips was later added across the front entrance, and exterior surveillance coverage was expanded with additional cameras.
City of Gadsden officials, including Mayor Craig Ford and the City Council, assisted by approving use of a portion of the 9th Street sidewalk for the fencing project.
The fencing installation was completed in early 2023, and the front awning was finished in October 2025. According to the sheriff’s office, the upgrades yielded immediate results. Contraband smuggling attempts dropped significantly, and reported inmate overdoses fell by about 90 percent after the fencing went up.
A portion of the funding came from Opiate Abatement Funds awarded to the county through a national settlement with opioid manufacturers.
“These upgrades have made a tremendous impact on the safety of our facility,” Sheriff Horton said. “Thanks to the Commission’s support and the use of Opiate Abatement Funds, we’ve been able to make the Detention Center a safer place for our deputies, staff, and inmates.”
https://weisradio.com/2025/08/15/etowah-county-sheriffs-office-adds-new-trucks-for-k9-unit/
