Expanded Prison Surveillance System Nearing Completion

By Andrew Gorosko

Installation of an expanded and improved surveillance system at the state’s high-security Garner Correctional Institution on Nunnawauk Road is well underway and is expected to be completed by mid-January, according to a state Department of Correction (DOC) official.

Garner Major Scott Semple told members of the Public Safety Committee for Garner Correctional Institution on December 12 that the new surveillance system will significantly improve the DOC’s ability to monitor inmate activity within the 245,000-square foot prison.

“It’s a very, very good system,” Maj Semple said of the digital camera/recorder network, versions of which are currently in use at other DOC prisons in the state. The Garner surveillance project’s price is approximately $300,000.

The new system is intended to more clearly and thoroughly monitor activity within Garner. The project will expand Garner’s surveillance system to more than 230 camera positions. All of the cameras in the surveillance network will be digital, in contrast to the previous system which was analog.

With the new video gear in place, it will be simpler for prison staff members to provide state police with visual evidence to be used in state police investigations of prison incidents. That visual evidence will be recorded on DVDs, which state police can then easily review. After a prison incident occurs, the applicable recorded surveillance photos will be located and played back, providing visual evidence of the incident.

Obtaining evidence from the previous system was a more cumbersome process, involving the use of specialized videotape machines.

The former cameras recorded sequential time-lapse still frames to VHS videotape cassettes. The new cameras will record still frames more frequently and more clearly to DVD discs. Consequently, the new surveillance system will record more individual still images across a given time span. The new equipment will record in color, in contrast to the previous black-and-white gear.

Video surveillance is done in “common areas” within the prison such as cellblocks, corridors, and recreation areas, not in prisoners’ cells.

Maj Semple attended the December 12 public safety session on behalf of warden James Dzurenda, who was unable to attend. The panel meets quarterly to address public safety issues posed by the presence of Garner.

Maj Semple reported that as of December 12, Garner held 518 male inmates, 418 of whom are classified as mental health inmates, 88 of whom are general population prisoners, and 12 of whom are minimum security inmates.

Of the 518 inmates, about 80 are “unsentenced” prisoners, who are either awaiting trial or awaiting sentencing after a conviction, the major said. Unsentenced inmates are those who are most often transported between Garner and the courts.

Garner is the state prison designated to house inmates with serious mental disorders. Garner is a Level 4 prison in a prison system in which the highest security rating is Level 5. Garner opened in 1992.

In another matter, Maj Semple told committee members that Garner correction officers on December 12 were in the midst of one of the prison’s regularly-scheduled “shakedown” events. During the exercise, correction officers thoroughly inspect the prison interior, seeking to find contraband that has been hidden by the prisoners. Such contraband may include weapons and drugs.

During such shakedowns, the prison enters “lockdown” mode so that correction officers can methodically inspect the prison while inmates remain locked within their cells.

Maj Semple told committee members that “no significant contraband” had been found as of December 12. “Nuisance contraband” had been located, involving prisoners in possession in excessive amounts of food-related items and printed matter, he said. No weapons or drugs had been found, Maj Semple said.

Also, Maj Semple told committee members that the continuing monthly tests of Garner’s emergency notification system have been proceeding well.

On the first Saturday of each month, Garner tests the notification system, which is designed to place automated, pre-recorded telephone calls to subscribers informing them of prison emergencies, such as prisoner escapes, fires, riots, and other matters.

Members of the public may become subscribers to the notification system for free by contacting the town police department at 426-5841.