Rights, camera, action: Court launches new video system

By David Skolnick

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

There were a few minor audio glitches, but overall city officials say the new Youngstown video- arraignment system worked well on its first day.

Municipal Court Magistrate Anthony Sertick Jr. arraigned 13 prisoners Monday using the new $22,000 system. The process took less than an hour.

The city put the system together last week because the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office stopped providing video-arraignment services at the county jail for city prisoners.

“We’ve experienced issues in the past, and we had some” Monday, said court Administrator George Denney.

The sound went in and out a few times during the arraignments, and there was an echo in the courtroom when Sertick talked.

“Those things will be resolved by Friday,” Denney said. “It’s a matter of mic location.”

Sertick said the new system “worked very well. We were able to accomplish video arraignments without many problems and do it in a way to maintain a safe environment for everyone, which is our goal.”

Sheriff Randall Wellington blames insufficient staffing and inadequate funding for eliminating the video arraignments.

City officials are skeptical, saying Wellington hasn’t said how getting rid of arraignments at the jail saves money.

Under the new system, city police officers transport prisoners to and from the county jail and the fifth floor of the police department, the former city jail.

Prisoners are in holding cells at the former city jail after being picked up at the county jail by city police and are then returned after arraignments are over.

Police Chief Rod Foley said the process went smoothly.

He also said the police department is spending about $1,000 to purchase 20 cushions for prisoners to sit on before and after arraignments and will spend about $1,500 to $2,000 for a video-monitoring system to make sure there are no issues on the fifth floor during the arraignment process.