Associated Press
COLUMBUS — Drones could join guards keeping an eye on inmates in two Warren County prisons, according to the state corrections agency.
The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction is taking public comments over the next month about the proposal for unmanned aerial vehicles at Lebanon Correctional Institution and Warren Correctional Institution.
The drones, to monitor prison yards and fences, would augment existing security staff as opposed to replacing guards, Ed Voorhies, the agency’s operations managing director, told the Dayton Daily News on Wednesday.
The agency is considering three camera-carrying options: a tethered helium balloon, a quad-copter and a fixed-wing vehicle.
The cameras may be equipped with infrared sensors to detect people outside the fences approaching at night to throw over contraband such as tobacco, drugs or even weapons, he said.
“Right now we have difficulty detecting that kind of an external threat,” Voorhies said.
The state will need policies for using the technology, said Gary Daniels, with the Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. He said that while there is little expectation of privacy on prison property, there is a potential for misuse if the cameras are used beyond the prison perimeter.
Christopher Mabe, president of the union representing prison guards, doesn’t oppose the concept but says evidence shows prison violence is best handled by more staff.
The state “has adopted plenty of new technologies through the years that have hardly moved the needle in terms of violence or contraband levels,” Mabe said. “We would caution the agency not to ascribe too much importance to new methods such as this.”