York County prison staff to get body cameras

(York) — The York County Prison board has approved purchasing 12 body cameras that supervisors will wear during an “extraordinary event” like a fight between inmates, county spokesman Carl Lindquist said.

The cameras, which will not be recording all the time and can be turned on when supervisors choose, cost a total $14,000, Lindquist said.

“While the prison has a substantial camera presence, the view of those cameras can be negatively impacted by individuals in the way,” Lindquist said. “The body cameras give you a new and improved angle to review what may have occurred and to decipher facts.”

Funding for the cameras came from commission the county generates from the inmate use of telephones at the prison, Lindquist said.

Supervisors and other staff will begin wearing them in January.

County Commissioner Doug Hoke said Thursday he supports the approval of the cameras. And, he would support a discussion in the coming months to purchase more if they prove successful.

“I think it’s a good idea with everything that’s going on around the country,” he said, adding that the cameras would protect both guards and inmates from any misinformation during an incident.

The approval comes at a time when York City Police — along with law-enforcement agencies across the country — are moving to equip officers with cameras, which provide a first-person account of an officer’s interactions.

The York City Council recently approved spending about $2,000 from a $70,000 federal grant to purchase body cameras for two York City Police school-resource officers.

Lindquist and Hoke said discussions to get the body cameras came after hallway cameras did not capture past incidents in the prison in their entirety.

“We believe there were incidents where these (body) cameras would have been helpful,” Lindquist said.

This story is posted as part of a partnership between WITF and the York Daily Record.