Harris County Jail Bans Personal Mobility Aids After Loaded Gun Found in Prisoner’s Wheelchair
The Harris County Jail in downtown Houston. Taken on Dec. 19, 2023.
Personal mobility aids are no longer allowed inside the Harris County Jail after a loaded pistol was found inside a prisoner’s personal wheelchair, where the gun had been hidden for more than a month.
Policy Change
The policy change went into effect on November 26, immediately after detention officers found the handgun inside a seat cushion attached to a personal wheelchair used by 53-year-old Tyrone Kennedy, who was arrested in late October. According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, they discovered the gun after receiving an anonymous tip.
Handling Medical Mobility Aids
Hours after the gun was discovered, an internal memo was sent to all jail staff outlining the policy change for handling medical mobility aids. According to the new directive, all medical mobility aids would be "thoroughly searched" when the prisoner is booked, "removed from the possession of [the] arrested individual and stored for safekeeping."
Prisoners will then be transitioned into a county-owned device "of equivalence at the time of confiscation." Upon a prisoner’s release, the personal mobility aid will be sanitized and returned.
What is Considered a Medical Mobility Aid?
According to the internal memo, medical mobility aids include:
- Wheelchairs
- Walkers
- Canes
- Crutches
- Any medical device utilized to assist with physical movement of an individual
Why the Policy Change?
The directive applies to people processed into the jail, not visitors, according to a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office. A mid-December inspection conducted by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) found that guards didn’t search Kennedy’s personal wheelchair when he was booked into the jail.
Texas law states that "a thorough pat or frisk search shall be conducted on each inmate upon entry into the facility and prior to booking." Prisoners could also be subjected to "a thorough strip search for weapons and contraband that may pose a threat to the security or safety of the facility."
What’s Next?
More details about the policy change were outlined in an email to a TCJS inspector on December 13 from Phillip Bosquez, an assistant chief with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office who oversees the jail.
According to Bosquez, they had ordered 25 new wheelchairs after the incident to ensure that the jail "would have a standby supply to keep in accordance with the directive." The department started receiving the new chairs during the first week of December, Bosquez added.
Additionally, Bosquez said they were in the "final stages" of getting a full body scanner for the front entrance of one of the jail facilities. As of now, a body scanner is in use on the second floor of the Joint Processing Center, the facility where people are booked and released. Bosquez added that they’re aiming to install wall-mounted mobility aids where prisoners are searched "so that medical devices can be searched more thoroughly."
FAQs
Q: Why did the policy change?
A: The policy change was made after a loaded gun was found in a prisoner’s personal wheelchair, which was hidden for more than a month.
Q: What is considered a medical mobility aid?
A: Medical mobility aids include wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, and any medical device utilized to assist with physical movement of an individual.
Q: How will prisoners be transitioned into county-owned devices?
A: Prisoners will be transitioned into a county-owned device "of equivalence at the time of confiscation."
Q: What happens to personal mobility aids when prisoners are released?
A: Personal mobility aids will be sanitized and returned to the prisoner upon release.
