Every law enforcement agency, regardless of size, transports prisoners. The majority of local agency transports begin at the scene of an arrest and end at a station, county jail, or a hospital. Sheriff’s departments are also regularly required to transport prisoners from their jails to courthouses, medical facilities, prisons and psychiatric facilities. When doing so, ensuring the safety and security of the prisoners, transporting officers and community members is a critical concern.
Officers could be transporting adult male, female, transgender adults, or juveniles. They might also find themselves moving prisoners with physical disabilities even to the point of being wheelchair-bound. In one trip, officers may find themselves transporting prisoners suspected of violent crimes at the same time they are transporting people charged with minor “nonviolent offenses.”
Keeping prisoners under control can be difficult during transport, as many desperate prisoners may see as their best opportunity to escape. Even if they’re not desperate to escape, prisoners can become resistive and disorderly, endangering the safety of transport officers, other prisoners and even themselves.
This Police1 guide addresses issues to consider in planning the acquisition of prisoner transport products.
Included in this guide:
- Key considerations before purchasing prisoner transport products
- Questions to ask vendors
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