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Public safety concerns prompt council referral of ordinance on leg shackles for hospital trips
Summary
Public commenters and union leaders told Allegheny County Council that a jail referendum limiting confinement practices created safety risks during hospital details; council referred an ordinance to the Public Safety Committee that would allow leg shackles on hospital runs.
Allegheny County Council heard public testimony Wednesday that a 2023 jail referendum limiting confinement practices had an unintended consequence: callers said it prevented correction officers from using leg shackles during inmate hospital transports, creating public-safety risks.
The council introduced an ordinance that would amend section 205 of the Allegheny County Code "on the use of solitary confinement in Allegheny County Jail to allow for the use of leg shackles on hospital runs" (agenda item 13670-25) and referred the measure to the Committee on Public Safety for further review.
The concern was voiced during the public-comment period by John Kenstowitz, who…
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