See inside Johnston County's new $41.2 million detention center, new $17 million public safety center

Johnston County opened a new $41.2 million detention center six months ago and a new $17 million public safety center in January.

On Thursday, WRAL News got a tour of the facilities.

New Johnston County Detention Center in Smithfield

The detention center is a 118,000-square-foot facility at 2879 U.S. 70 Business East in Smithfield. It can hold close to 500 inmates in six separate wings. As of Thursday, there are 262 inmates in the jail.

It has state-of-the-art contraband detection systems, a ministry room and a medical and mental health wing.

“This is state of the art,” Sheriff Steve Bizzell said. “It’s new and it’s clean.”

The jail has a system called Intercept. It’s a $138,000 unit that finds any contraband, one of only 20 of its kind in the state. It can detect knives, weapons and drugs.

At the old jail, families and friends could not visit inmates via video. Now that’s possible.

“The family member will sit here [and the] inmate will be in [the] terminal in a call,” Bizzell said.

The detention center replaced the previous jail built in 1988 that was only 35,000 square feet. The old facility held 191 inmates in cramped spaces. Many inmates slept on the floor.

“We were housing inmates in other sheriffs’ jails and paying a lot of money to do so,” Bizzell said.

Bizzell did not say how much money Johnston County spent sending inmates to other facilities outside of the county.

The new facility’s medical wing and health center is staffed seven days a week by a nurse.

The detention center’s kitchen serves more than 800 meals per day.

The center also has six recreational yards.

New Johnston County Public Safety Center opened in January

The new public safety center at 2570 U.S. 70 Business East in Smithfield houses the sheriff’s office, 911 center, emergency operations center [EOC], narcotics, property crimes and more.

The 911 center houses 12 operators with room for another 12.

“We built the facility for future growth,” 911 director Brett Renfrow said. “We are the fastest growing (county) in the state right now.”

Emergency Service Director Kevin Hubbard explained the need for a newer, larger EOC.

“Any time there is a known event or disaster, this room is operational,” Hubbard said.