Resident urges Allegheny County to reconsider restraint-chair prohibition, citing safety and medical access concerns

A resident urged Allegheny County Council on Jan. 28 to consider reversing the county's current prohibition on using a restraint chair at the county jail so officers can safely transport and medically evaluate detainees who are actively resisting.

"The restraint chair allows our officers to transport residents without injury to the resident or to the officers," said John Kinstowitz of 828 Jansy Street, who addressed the council during public comment. He said the current prohibition, adopted via a 2022 referendum, forces officers to restrain resisting residents physically, which can result in injury to both staff and detainees and can prevent needed medical evaluations.

Kinstowitz described the restraint chair as a medical-transport tool, not a punishment: "The purpose of using the restraint chair is to avoid injury and provide the needed medical care, not for punishment." He urged monitoring of the device's use to ensure it is not applied inappropriately.

Why it matters: The speaker framed the issue as a public-safety and health concern, saying jail health-care staff and correctional officers have reported that, when residents resist, some detainees go unexamined for medical problems because staff cannot safely transport them for evaluation.

What was not decided: Kinstowitz's remarks were delivered during public comment; council members did not record action, a motion or a vote on changing the referendum at the Jan. 28 meeting.

Next steps mentioned by the speaker: Kinstowitz said he would present a path for changing the referendum in a future presentation but provided no dates or formal petitions during this meeting.

For the record: The concerns summarized here reflect statements made by a public commenter; the council did not debate or adopt any policy changes in the session's public record.