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Idaho DOC seeks digital mail scanning, drone detection and a staffed transport unit after staff shootings
Summary
Following a spring ambush that left three Idaho Department of Correction staff shot, officials told a legislative committee they want to fund mail digitization, drone detection, phone‑call transcription and a permanent transport bureau to reduce emergency‑transport vulnerabilities.
The Idaho Department of Correction asked a joint finance preparations committee on Feb. 4 for new technology and staff to harden prisons and reduce the chance of another attack on staff.
Agency officials said the request stems from an incident last spring, when an inmate being escorted after emergency medical care was ambushed and three DOC staff were shot. ‘‘These supplementals and enhancements . . . are proposed by the agency to address vulnerabilities that were discovered within the agency,’’ agency analyst Noah Peterson told the committee.
Why it matters: DOC told lawmakers that the ambush exposed weaknesses in how emergency transports were handled and how contraband and outside threats reach secure facilities. The agency emphasized a mix of technology and personnel — digital mail scanning to remove a porous contraband channel, layered drone detection, phone‑call transcription/analysis and a permanently staffed, specially trained Transport Bureau for high‑risk moves.
What the agency proposed: Noah Peterson outlined the budget requests. A supplemental for fiscal 2025 asked $795,000 to begin deployment of…
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