GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office is the first agency in the state to implement a biometric monitoring system.

The real-time biometric monitoring system, OverWatch, enhances safety and helps reduce the risk of overdose deaths in correctional environments, sheriff’s spokesperson Heather Pelham says.

Overdose deaths in detention centers are a crisis nationwide, with a 400% increase in local jails from 2000 to 2018. A major part of this is the increased use of opioids, such as fentanyl.

OverWatch monitors biometric indicators like heart rate, respiration, oxygen levels, stress and skin temperature. When the system detects abnormal readings, detention staff receive immediate alerts to intervene before a medical crisis develops.

“Every life entrusted to

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