Luzerne County prison Taser contract on agenda

Luzerne County’s prison system system has purchased Tasers, largely for correctional officers overseeing inmates receiving treatment at hospitals, county Correctional Services Division Head James Wilbur told county council last week.

Since implementation last year, officers have deployed the Tasers “less than a few times,” Wilbur said.

He told council the Tasers are an excellent deterrent because many inmates are familiar with their use by law enforcement and “recognize that that is not something they want to get involved in.”

“We have a lot of hospital duties out right now — more than I’ve ever seen — so now each transport team is armed with that so if in the event something happened inside a hospital, instead of having to resort to some kind of force — i.e. deadly force — they’re able to use something else,” Wilbur said.

Corrections officers on hospital transport and guard duty must be armed for public safety purposes, but Wilbur said the Tasers provide another non-lethal option.

They also carry oleoresin capsicum spray, commonly known as pepper spray, but Wilbur told council “everybody else in the room is going to be affected” when the spray is aimed at one person.

“With this, that’s not the case,” he said of the Tasers.

Multiple officers must transport and guard each inmate requiring hospital medical treatment the entire time they are outside the prison, Wilbur said.

Inmates must receive outside treatment when the facility is unable to provide required medical care, he said.

“This is necessary for any kind of severe acuity because they’re still in our custody,” he said.

He did not have ready analysis quantifying or explaining the increase in hospitalizations but believes the trend primarily stems from medical problems tied to substance use disorder and more older inmates charged and sentenced.

Wilbur emphasized the issue is not isolated to this county and said many prison systems across the country are grappling with more inmates who are “not as healthy.”

As an example of ages, the county’s latest division report provides the following breakdown of the 262 inmates committed to the prison system in May, with the age ranges in parenthesis: (under 18), one; (18 to 19), four; (20 to 29), 46; (30 to 39), 104; (40 to 49), 67; (50 to 59), 30; and (60 to 69), 10.

The breakdown the 272 committed in April: (under 18), one; (18 to 19), one; (20 to 29), 62; (30 to 39), 99; (40 to 49), 62; (50 to 59), 36; and (60 to 69), 10.

Line supervisors in the county prison system also carry the Tasers, Wilbur told council.

Wilbur said his training department immediately approached him about the need for Tasers when he was promoted from correctional services captain to division head in February 2023, and he promptly entered into a contract with Scottsdale, Arizona-based Axon Enterprise Inc. for the equipment to provide officers with another option to bring situations under control.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo said the five-year contract must be ratified by council because Wilbur had not been briefed on approval requirements when he initiated the contract last year. Wilbur also has subsequently negotiated an amendment reducing the cost, she said.

The revised contract, which also covers related supplies and warranties, is a total $74,600 for a five-year period starting in 2023. Wilbur told council this is a $5,000 savings. The expense had been factored into his budget, and and approximately $46,400 is still owed for future years.

Council Vice Chairman Brian Thornton asked if the purchase was bid out.

Wilbur said bidding was not necessary because the prison determined the Axon 7 Taser was needed, and it was a direct “sole source” purchase through the Axon company.

The Axon 7 was selected because it also has a “drive stun” capability that is “very effective in close quarters” usually encountered by corrections officers, he said.

Wilbur said the Axon 7s acquired last year are the first Tasers in the county correctional system.

Previously, the prison had an electronic immobilization device, or EID, but Wilbur said EIDs are not Tasers.

State law requires county prisons to report the number of times force and restraints are used beyond the routine moving, escorting and transport of inmates, which includes a stun device.

According to the most recent available state statistics from 2022, a stun device was used in the county prison system four times that year.

The usage in other recent years, according to state reports: 2021, nine; 2020, zero; 2019, once; 2018, seven; 2017, zero; 2016, eight; and 2015, twice.