Anderson adds audio to jail surveillance
April 29th, 2008, 10:09 am · 11 Comments · posted by PEGGY LOWE
Following up on the supes approval of video cameras in the OC jails, acting Sheriff Jack Anderson today said he would be adding an audio feed to the surveillance.
Supe Bill Campbell has told Anderson several times that he’d like to have audio capabilities in the jails for safety reasons — so that, for instance, when a deputy or inmate is being assaulted he could yell out a “Help!” and get assistance. Anderson told Campbell that he had concerns about the privacy rights of the guards, who may share personal information with their co-workers that could become public record.
But today Anderson said he had come up with “a workable model that will allow for balance” between personal freedoms and safety.
The audio will only be triggered when a deputy activates it for safety reasons or a supervisor triggers it after hearing a “perceptible disturbance,” Anderson said. The department will devise a plan that sets limits on the system, including “random eavesdropping is not an acceptable practice,” he said. Also, a light will go on in the guard station when the system is on, he said.
This is all, of course, a response to the devastating grand jury report following the murder of inmate John Chamberlain. Seems Anderson has been at the Tuesday supes meeting each week following release of that report.
Also today, Supe John Moorlach set the May 6 public comments on the search for a new sheriff at 1:30 p.m.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Am I missing something? It’s not likely that any inmate will be yelling help in a guard module. Unless he/she is getting beat up by a guard in there and the video should suffice. The inmate areas will only pick up loud noises over the din of other noises when not being immediately supervised for chow etc. Allowing duputies to activate or deactivate any manner of the system would obviate the systems purpose (e.g. watching the guards and inmates) Duputies should be working when in close proximity to inmates not talking about personal information. There are other places for that.
BTW Anderson should be spending Tuesdays touring the jails instead of staring at Moorlach.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
More pandering from the ‘acting’ Sheriff to the BoS. This will just increase the low morale. It will even be lower when Anderson becomes Sheriff. What a joke!
April 29th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
How does audio in a completely secured, locked down guard station keep the deputies safe?
April 29th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
So the deputies or a supervisor will decide what gets recorded? My God, it’s time to fire EVERYONE in the OCSD, starting with this weasel Anderson.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
It’s a shame they got rid of Galinsky. It was refreshing to have an openly gay leader in the sheriff’s department. As a gay man, I am always proud to see our people in leadership. It is a shame we are forced to tolerate discrimination in our workplace
April 29th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
The purpose of more surveillance in the OC Jails is protect any other inmate from the same fate as John Chamberlain. To show the Deputies that that type of lax in performing their duties will be monitored. It really scares me to read that the acting Sheriff is still concerned about the Deputies personal issues when they are on company time. Which just shows that nothing was really learned from this brutal death. Who does the inmate have to turn to with the code of scilence protecting the guards and the inmates. A video camera would remove all basis’s All your doing is offering a Code of Scilience Surveillance.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Anderson is trying to regain the public’s trust. He inherited a lousy situation and he’s making the best of it. I think this is a step in the right direction. If the deputies didn’t want it to come to this then they should have behaved better.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Oh great. Now if some deputy passes gas everyone will hear it. Also, don’t pick your nose and watch where you scratch too!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Galisky was a great person to work for but once she was put in the spotlight her days were numbered. you know moorlach was going crazy having a gay woman in such a high profile position.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:56 am
Where audio tape recording is needed is in the public court proceeding. This would assure an accurate record. Without it some public court employees can delete remove alter and tamper with evidence of innocence. Audio tape record is needed now in the public courtroom. It is also needed now because there will be some public court employees who will keep you from trying to correct the record. Audio tape record will stop concealing evidence of innocence of the accused,
April 30th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Hey Gay blade… There are some stand up gay woman on the department but Galisky was not one of them. She was and is corrupt and that is why Carona promoted her so fast. Say what you want about Carona, but he was very adept at reading people and determining if they were receptive to his ways(Compromised ethics and Corruption). Galisky brought a great deal of shame and disgrace on a once proud organization. *UCK HER !!