WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY ) — The six Baltimore police officers charged in Freddie Gray’s death have posted bond. Gray died after suffering a severe spinal cord injury while in the back of a police wagon. Local law enforcement demonstrated what the standard protocols are for transporting an inmate.
Both the Wilmington Police Department and Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office have a transporting inmate van that can hold up to 11 passengers.
Officers with the WPD say inmates will be handcuffed and then buckled into a seat belt unless they were injured prior to their arrest.
The inmate will be placed into one of the three sections in the transport van depending on the circumstances.
Both law enforcement agencies have cameras inside of their inmate transport vehicles that record both video and audio.
Sergeant Alanna Williams says “We monitor them for their overall well being. I know working in the downtown unit, a lot of people we see are intoxicated or on drugs while they are back there. If they have an episode or an reaction to the alcohol and or drugs we can watch them to make sure they are okay and being able to hear them also lets us know if they need anything.”
Sgt. Williams says officers do search inmates before they get into the van, but sometimes things are missed so the cameras are a good way to see if anything is back there.
She adds that the cameras are not only there to keep the prisoners safe, but to keep the officers safe as well.