Local Hero Honored for 35 Years of Service — Keeping County Jail Safe, Improving Quality of Life for Clark County
Managing a county jail of over 700 inmates can be a daunting task. For 35-year veteran and local Hero, Commander Michael Anderson, it’s just another day in the office.
Anderson was named Hero of the Month by inmate communications leader Telmate, for his service and dedication to the citizens of Clark County. The company launched the program in an effort to identify corrections leaders who use technology to help reduce recidivism and improve public safety.
Established in 1849, Clark is the oldest law enforcement organization in the state of Washington. Today, the county continues its mission to work in partnership with our diverse communities to promote and enhance the safety and the quality of life in Clark County.
The Clark County Corrections Branch is responsible for the supervision, custody and care of adult pre-trial and sentenced individuals in two separate detention facilities. They work with community partners to provide inmate care, treatment, and services while in custody so that individuals may transition back into society at the completion of their jail sentence.
Commander Anderson, along with other Corrections Deputies provide supervision, custody and care to inmates in the Clark County Jail facilities. From booking, searching, classifying and releasing prisoners, Anderson works diligently to maintain order in the day-to-day operations of the jail. With so much to do and limited resources, Clark County relies very highly on the technology that helps run the jails. Among them include inmate phone systems, telecommunication devices and visitation stations.
Clark County also uses tools like Telmate Investigator, designed to identify risks and evaluate triggers to criminal activity before they even start. “Investigator really allowed the county to give us the ability to listen to individual records or phone calls to hear the unfiltered truth and get to the real issue” Anderson said. “We can use it as a mechanism to get insight on who the person truly is, which I think is pretty powerful” he said.
Anderson has shared this technology with over 16 multi-agency partners and trained over 337 users from local, city, county, state, and federal entities. Among them include Vancouver Police Department; Washington State Patrol; Washington State Department of Corrections; Clark County Prosecuting Attorney; U.S. Marshals; Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
