Recently Allegheny County Council voted to continue the ban on Allegheny County Jail correctional officers’ use of leg shackles on hospital runs by voting 12-2. One of the council members is in denial and continually cites state escape statistics showing no escapes when she knows there have been three incidents of escape attempts this year where a fleeing individual had to be tackled in a hospital emergency room in the presence of the public and two incidents of officers being kicked in the head several times, causing concussions.
Other council members are relying on the county executive’s proposal of hospital police attaching leg shackles which will not hold water. A lawsuit will be filed and lawyers are telling me a judge will rule that officers have custody because they are always with the individual, preventing escapes, and the hospital security staff will seldom be with the individual.
If the judge rules that officers have custody the ban will continue with the dangers of escape, serious injury and even death continuing. First-year officers are working 75-80 hours in five days, carrying a loaded revolver, and might need to make a split-second decision about whether to use their loaded revolver.
The 12 county council members who voted against this initiative were aware of the legal risks of the county executive’s proposal. They are gambling with the public’s safety and the safety of the hospital staff and patients and have significantly increased correctional officers’ stress.
John Kenstowicz
Morningside
The writer is an advocate working to improve living and working conditions at the Allegheny County Jail.