By C1 Staff
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Following the in custody death of an inmate who told officers “I don’t want to die in your cell,” the Cleveland Heights jail has upgraded its surveillance system.
WKYC reports that though the previous system was set to record at all times when motion was detected. Previous settings for the old technology set the motion sensitivity to 50 percent, according to the City Manager Tanisha Briley.
Along with this, the number of cameras connected to the system likely overworked the CPU.
The new system will “assure that activities inside the jail are recorded and documented at all times,” Briley said.
The upgrade comes as a result of video gaps in footage of Ralkina Jones, who died in the jail on July 26 after being arrested for domestic violence. Officers reported seeing her lethargic during her incarceration, upon which she was taken by a nearby hospital for treatment. Paramedics also checked on her later that night when she was returned to the jail.
Even after being allegedly observed through normal jail checks during the night, Jones was found unresponsive in her bed.
Gaps in the video were explained by the system’s insufficient memory and the motion sensor’s settings. It would begin to record 15 seconds before motion was detected, and ended 60 seconds after motion was no longer detected.
Cleveland Heights Police Chief Jeffrey Robertson has also called for an independent review from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections.
The Cuyahoga County’s Medical Examiner has not released their findings in Jones’ death, though they did say the death does not appear “suspicious.” The city of Cleveland Heights reported that it turned all relevant information over to the ME’s office to help in its investigation.