Etowah County Detention Center Completes Major Exterior Security Upgrades, Reports Sharp Drop in Contraband and Overdoses

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 C