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Residents urge investigation, transparency after alleged abuse and medical neglect at Erie County Prison
Summary
Multiple residents testified to alleged beatings, ignored medical needs and a large settlement related to incidents at Erie County Prison; they urged the council for a public accounting of settlements, oversight changes and tracking of repeat officers while a county official said leaders have met with stakeholders to address concerns.
Several Erie residents used the county council public-comment period on July 21 to press elected officials for a full accounting and policy changes after alleged abuse and medical neglect at the Erie County Prison.
“An inmate was put on life support for 15 days,” said Jen Paulson, a Mill Creek resident, who also said the county paid a $1,100,000 settlement in one case. Paulson asked the council for three items: a full account of all settlements and legal costs related to excessive force or misconduct at the prison and sheriff’s office over the past five years; a description of any oversight or policy changes implemented since the case she described; and whether the county is tracking repeat officers or units that are the source of repeated claims.
Cindy Schreiber of Edinburg described multiple, serious injuries she said relatives and others suffered in county custody, including a veteran she said was beaten and spent two weeks on life support, and she named the prison medical-contractor transition from Wexford to Armour as a concern. “If we’re going to continue to always do what we’ve always done, we’re always going to be right here,” she said, urging the council to change course.
Bishop John Crosby identified himself as the uncle of a man who was struck by a police cruiser and asked whether the officers involved remain on duty; the chair said criminal and city-level personnel questions were outside county council’s purview and would be directed to the city council and mayor’s office.
Malcolm Pulliam, a resident of Erie, and other speakers asked the county to work with families to draft policies to prevent future deaths and to allow independent medical evaluations when families have concerns about care in custody.
County official Miss Bogle reported that she, the mayor and Warden Holman had met with community members and said the county is “trying to work through some of the issues that are happening in the community.” She did not provide a timeline for a public accounting or list specific policy changes during her remarks.
Speakers repeatedly urged transparency, with Paulson asking the council to “commit to transparency on this issue and to make sure we’re not just paying to make problems go away.” No formal action or vote on an oversight measure occurred during the meeting.
Next steps: speakers said they will continue to press for policy changes and independent medical reviews, and county staff indicated meetings are ongoing; the council did not adopt a formal oversight resolution at this session.
