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Inmate assault gets Kan. county to add body cameras to jail staff

Inmate assaulted two staff members and was found not guilty

By C1 Staff

WICHITA, Kansas — After an inmate was found not guilty of assaulting two jail deputies, the Finney County Jail decided to make a change.

KSN reports that the officers who work inside the jail are now sporting body cameras on duty.

“It’s actually oing to pick up 30 seconds of record time before I hit this button without audio,” said Sheriff Kevin Bascue. “As things start to escalate, sometimes you don’t think about hitting a button right away. As soon as I hit the button, it’s actually going to start recording audio with the video.”

The cameras have been in use for a few weeks and have already been useful.

“Basically, it was a he-said, he-said sort of situation, and because of the camera and the audio, we were able to show the officer was being truthful about the situation,” said jail supervisor Lt. Jeff Orbaugh.

The cameras also hold officers accountable.

Jail staff reports that since adding the cameras, some inmate behavior has improved.

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