While visitors aren’t permitted at the McKean County Jail, Sheriff Dan Woods has made sure that families and inmates can stay connected through video conferencing technology.
On Tuesday, Woods explained that visits to the jail have been canceled, in accordance with directives from the state. However, “there’s a video visitation that we can use.”
So he reached out to see what could be done to help in this crisis situation.
“I have contacted the company that does it. They have agreed to provide each inmate two, 30-minute video visits per week at no charge,” Woods said,
That is the same amount of time that inmates would normally have to visit with family.
“It’s all done by schedule,” he explained. “Whoever the visitor is logs into the phone system, the inmates have to provide the information to their families.”
The visitor is able to make the arrangements and schedule a time to see their loved one at just about any time of the day. Woods said it is available from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., with the exception of meal times. “There’s plenty of time for every inmate to get their visits,” he said.
The sheriff’s office is housed in the same building as the county jail, and Woods said for now, it is business as usual.
Despite rampant social media rumors, the sheriff’s office is still issuing pistol permits.
Woods explained that his office doesn’t have a lot of walk-in business other than for pistol permits.
“I would say people should call the office before they make the long trip,” Woods said, adding the COVID-19 issue is constantly changing. Visitation at public buildings has been restricted, but there has been no official request or directive to stop issuing pistol permits.
“I’m not planning on stopping,” Woods said. “I have had a lot of system issues today, but I don’t know if it’s related to (the pandemic). I think just the world itself is slowing down.”
Sheriff’s deputies are still serving civil documents and handling matters for the county judicial system, he explained.
According to the Pennsylvania Crimes Code, current holders of pistol permits whose permits may be expiring soon, and are eligible to renew the permit, have a six-month window in which to do so. Therefore, should the sheriff’s office be forced to close because of the COVID-19 pandemic, permits that expire within the time period of the closure are still good for six months.
