After staff ambush, IDOC requests digital mail scanning, drone detection, expanded transport team and body‑worn camera pilot

The Joint Finance Preparations Committee received a series of supplemental and ongoing requests Feb. 4 from the Idaho Department of Correction aimed at reducing contraband flow and improving security after a spring incident in which three IDOC staff were shot while escorting an inmate from a hospital.

State prisons division analyst Noah Peterson described three supplemental 2025 requests tied to the incident: a $795,000 first‑year implementation package for advanced surveillance technology (digital mail scanning, drone detection, and phone‑call transcription/analysis using a LEO intelligence platform); a $1,148,000 one‑time request to expand the transport bureau (12 positions, vehicles and equipment); and a federal grant application to pilot body‑worn cameras (year‑one costs $1,051,000, mostly federal funds with a $27,000 GF share for that fiscal year).

Details and agency rationale: Peterson said digital mail scanning would divert physical mail to an off‑site location for scanning and digital delivery to incarcerated individuals and would include a stand‑alone illicit‑substance testing unit. He explained that IDOC residents made approximately 4,000,000 phone calls in 2023 totaling about 49,000,000 minutes; the LEO transcription and analysis technology would index and analyze calls for intelligence. Drone detection would use layered sensors to identify drones approaching facilities. The agency estimated the full‑year ongoing cost for the surveillance package at $2,397,000 (mail scanning $1,011,000; drone detection $385,500; LEO transcription $1,000,000).

Transport bureau expansion: Peterson said the supplemental would fund 12 FTP and seven fully equipped vehicles (six SUVs and one wheelchair van) and provide training and specialized equipment for high‑risk transports. Director Josh Tewalt explained the operational logic: facility staff currently perform emergency transports as an additional duty, generating extensive overtime. After the ambush, IDOC concluded specialized, consistently trained transport personnel are needed for high‑risk movements. "We generated 20,000 hours of overtime at ISCC... 14,000 hours at IMSI," Tewalt said, and described the proposed bureau as a targeted resource for high‑risk transports rather than a replacement for all facility transport operations.

Body‑worn cameras and other items: The body‑worn camera pilot is primarily federally funded in this supplemental and includes cameras, docking stations, evidence storage and licenses; the state share would be larger in FY2026 and FY2027 if the federal pilot requires matching funds. Other requests include a small ongoing capital allocation to purchase a skid‑steer for snow removal (the governor recommended contracting snow removal instead), general inflation adjustments for repairs and utilities across prisons, and $5.7 million one‑time for replacement items (vehicles, residential supplies and equipment).

Committee questions and issues: Committee members asked why 12 FTP were needed rather than reassigning existing posts; IDOC replied that covering high‑risk transport with existing facility staff would require increasing relief factors and generate substantial additional staffing needs and overtime. Director Tewalt described the increasing sophistication of contraband methods — including drugs embedded in ink and autonomous drone drops — and asserted that mail scanning and drone detection would close major vulnerability points. The committee did not take votes; analysts said governor recommendations and supplemental details appear in the agency materials.