A technology project implemented in Stokes County last year has won a high level award. The Probable Cause Video Conferencing system was named one of the winners of the Local Government Federal Credit Union employee productivity awards given by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC).

The honor was presented on Friday, August 28, at an awards ceremony at the Metro Convention Center in Hickory. It was brought back to Stokes County and presented formally for everyone to see at the September 8 county commissioners meeting in Danbury.

A review committee from the NCACC chose the Stokes County technology innovation as one of the top 10 project applications received from all over the state. The project was slated to be featured in the organization’s monthly newspaper, CountyLines,

“I want to personally commend your team for its creativity, innovation and commitment to improving county government,” said David F. Thompson, executive director of NCACC, to the Stokes County project team. “County employees like you set a wonderful example to others to rethink their way of doing business.”

The award included a $1,000 check. According to Stokes County Manager Bryan Steen, the monetary award will be handed over to the county, possibly to be used to help defray the cost of the Employee Holiday Lunch in December.

The winning project makes use of technology to video probable cause hearings and transmit the proceedings to the proper authorities. This has resulted in substantial savings in time and gas for county law enforcement officials. Safety has been increased as well since the system cuts the trips law agents must make with suspected criminals in their custody.