The Cascade County Detention Center, located in Great Falls, Montana, implemented Command Cloud into its jail facility in December 2024. Within just three months, the technology had already demonstrated its life-saving capabilities, helping officers prevent four inmate suicides within a four-day span. This swift and effective intervention underscores the critical role of real-time inmate tracking, digital officer accountability, and proactive monitoring in correctional facilities.
About the Cascade County Detention Center
The Cascade County Detention Center in Great Falls, Montana, houses pre-trial detainees and those serving short sentences. Designed for a maximum capacity of 380 inmates, the facility has consistently operated above capacity, with an average daily population exceeding 400 inmates since 2018. As of December 2024, the headcount had reached 430 inmates. The facility encompasses several operational areas, including intake and processing, housing and supervision, medical and mental health services, food services, and rehabilitation programs.
The Challenge
Detention center staff historically relied on manual logs through their jail management system (JMS) from Zuercher Technologies (now CentralSquare Technologies), supplemented by paper records and spreadsheets to track day-to-day inmate activity information. In an effort to “work smarter, not harder,” Sheriff Slaughter sought a solution to modernize operations, improve welfare check compliance, and mitigate the growing concerns over inmate mental health crises and suicide attempts.
Consistent overcrowding placed increasing demands on staff, highlighting staffing shortages and operational inefficiencies. However, the most urgent challenge was the alarming rise in inmate mental health crises, including suicides and self-harm incidents.
The facility had faced multiple in-custody deaths, leading to legal and financial repercussions. In 2022 alone, two inmate suicides resulted in lawsuit settlements totaling $750,000.
Sheriff Slaughter and his team wanted to pursue a system that would enhance staff accountability and provide real-time alerts to improve operational awareness. The decision to implement Command Cloud was driven by Sheriff Slaughter’s vision to optimize the officer experience, and digitally transform his team to automate security rounds, inmate activity logging, and provide instant visibility into inmate well-being, while integrating with their JMS.
How Command Cloud Made a Difference
Cascade County Detention Center went live with Command Cloud in December 2024.
A primary focus was on security checks and the use of the Mobile Compliance Monitor (MCM), which provides real-time data on check schedules and countdown timers to ensure rounds are completed on time.
During training and go-live, detention officers learned how MCM’s digital timers display real-time data on when and where checks are due, along with a countdown of how much time remains before the next check is late. The GUARDIAN RFID Academy team worked with the administration to optimize the compliance monitor settings to meet the facility’s policy of conducting checks on 15, 30, and 60-minute times.
Staff were trained to shift from traditional “top-of-the-hour” check routines they were initially taught to a proactive, compliance-driven approach. Administrators also held staff accountable and required them to document late check justifications for every late round. Additionally, agency detectives participated in the training to learn how to retrieve and analyze reports for any internal investigative purposes. By the end of December, compliance rates had already improved, with 83.95% of over 74,000 checks completed on time.
- December 2024 83.95%
- January 2025 91.05%
- February 2025 91.32%
- March 2025 92.49%
The Turning Point
By March 2025, the staff’s use of Command Cloud came full circle, and the Cascade County staff were able to save four inmate lives with GUARDIAN RFID’s impactful tracking capabilities.
On March 14, officers responded to two separate inmate suicide attempts, intervening in time to administer life-saving measures. Both inmates were promptly evaluated by medical staff.
On March 16, another inmate was prevented from successfully following through on a suicide attempt, and received immediate first aid.
On March 18, officers stopped a fourth inmate suicide attempt and provided immediate life-saving aid before transferring the inmate to the hospital for further treatment. Later that same day, officers found an inmate attempting to start a fire, but quickly contained the situation and locked down the facility until confirmed safe and secure.
Each of these incidents was quickly identified and managed with the support of Command Cloud’s real-time security check alerts. Plus, the system ensured that these at-risk inmates were placed on a Suicide Watch Special Status and were continuously closely monitored.
Sheriff Slaughter commended the dedication of his officers and the effectiveness of the Command Cloud system, stating:
“The GUARDIAN RFID system has been invaluable in ensuring inmate safety. We sincerely thank the Cascade County Commissioners for funding and supporting this life-saving technology.”
A Commitment to Safety and Accountability
The Cascade County Detention Center’s experience with inmate suicide attempts highlights the vital role of advanced technology in modern corrections. By equipping officers with tools that enhance situational awareness, accountability, and response times, Command Cloud is empowering facilities like Cascade County to prevent tragedies and increase defensibility.
With challenges such as inmate overcrowding and staffing shortages, the ability to intervene in life-threatening situations has reaffirmed the importance of data-driven decision-making in corrections. For Cascade County and Sheriff Slaughter, the implementation of Command Cloud has already proven to be more than just an operational upgrade — it is a lifesaving investment.
GUARDIAN RFID is a member of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner Network (APN) and the AWS Public Sector Partner (PSP) Program.
Command Cloud is built from the ground up on a modern technology stack to protect and empower America’s Thin Gray Line. Command Cloud is deployed securely in the Cloud in partnership with AWS, the most trusted and broadly adopted Cloud platform, using a number of AWS cloud services, including AWS GovCloud (US), Amazon EC2, Amazon EBS, Amazon SageMaker, Amazon GuardDuty, Amazon CloudWatch, and AWS Lambda.
Together, these services enable Command Cloud to meet the growing technology needs of Warriors while maintaining a strong security posture that maintains the integrity of Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) Security Policy compliance.
