Senate Rules Committee unanimously advances CDCR technology director Edmund Blagdon

The California State Senate Rules Committee voted 5-0 on March 12 to advance Edmund Blagdon’s nomination as director of Enterprise Information Services for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to the full Senate.

Blagdon, who told the committee he has worked at CDCR for 16 years, described recent technology efforts at CDCR including expanded Wi-Fi connectivity, deployment of tablets and laptops for incarcerated people for education and communications, and mobile tools for custody staff. The committee’s questions focused on contraband cellphones and the department’s use of a managed access system (MAS), the rollout of video and audio surveillance (AVSS), license plate reader deployment at institutions, and body-worn cameras.

Why it matters: Senators pressed Blagdon on whether CDCR technology investments are reducing contraband and improving safety. The answers the committee received outline tradeoffs the department faces between technical upgrades, evolving device standards, budget constraints, and policy changes such as Senate Bill 1008, which established state-paid phone minutes for incarcerated people.

Committee discussion and details Blagdon said the managed access system is installed in 16 CDCR institutions and that a recent technical upgrade helped CDCR identify more modern phones as devices moved from 4G to 5G. He told the committee CDCR’s findings show the number of contraband cellphones recovered has declined by about 50% over the last three to four years but said staff were still assessing how much of that decline is attributable to MAS versus other changes, including the introduction of tablets that provide messaging and video calling.

On the MAS expansion, Blagdon said CDCR and the Department of Finance deferred expansion in the current budget cycle; the department has not scheduled a new timeline and he offered to provide the committee the exact budget numbers for the proposed expansion. He did not provide a firm date for further deployment.

Blagdon also described video and audio surveillance rollouts and said CDCR is completing fixed-camera deployments at institutions, with about six institutions remaining for the AVSS rollout; license plate reader cameras will be installed in those six sites and later retrofitted to earlier sites. He said license plate reader software can record plate numbers and store that data for later review.

On body-worn cameras, Blagdon said the technology implementation "has gone very well" from a technical standpoint, but that questions about program efficacy — whether officers consistently use the devices and whether the devices are improving safety outcomes — remain within the programmatic (policy) side and he offered to obtain usage and outcome data for the committee.

On Senate Bill 1008 and tablet calling When asked about SB 1008, which established state payment for certain phone minutes for incarcerated persons, Blagdon said the program resulted in millions of additional minutes of communication. He said tablets provide some free minutes for messaging and video calls; other calling and messaging minutes can be paid for by family and friends. Blagdon said increased communication has benefits for reentry but did not supply granular minutes or outcome data at the hearing; he offered to provide numbers on minutes and related measures on follow-up.

Committee action and vote Vice Chair Grove moved to advance the nomination. After roll-call votes and keeping the roll open to permit the majority leader to join, the committee recorded a final 5-0 vote to move Blagdon’s confirmation to the full Senate.

What the committee asked to follow up on Senators requested specific budget figures for the MAS expansion and additional data on body-worn camera usage and AVSS deployment. Blagdon agreed to get the requested numbers and follow up with staff.

Ending The committee closed the public portion of the hearing after unsuccessful calls for supporters and opponents to speak. Blagdon and his family were congratulated; senators signaled that they expected to receive the follow-up budget and program data before floor consideration.