MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) announced Tuesday that it is suspending the messaging feature on tablets provided to jail occupants effective immediately.
The decision comes as the agency said it needs to review and put in place new protocols in response to recent confirmed reports of occupants using the messaging feature to “inappropriately contact potential witnesses in their criminal cases.”
MCSO said the decision followed County Executive David Crowley’s action on Friday to pause messaging on tablets at Milwaukee County’s other adult detention facility, the Community Reintegration Center (CRC).
“Victims and witnesses must be able to take part in the justice system without fear,” said Sheriff Denita R. Ball. “These tablets were put in place to help occupants stay connected to family, legal resources and support systems that can influence a reduction in recidivism. When even a small number of people misuse that access to threaten others and further break the law, we have a responsibility to act. Pausing messaging gives us the time to review our controls and reduce misuse and abuse of this technology.”
The sheriff’s office said that messaging will remain suspended until the agency is confident that any proposed changes will protect victims and witnesses without compromising security at the MCJ.
MCSO said that jail occupants will continue to have access to the tablets, which are supplied by IC Solutions, at no cost to taxpayers, for educational and entertainment purposes, as well as legal research, including the law library, during the suspension.
The sheriff’s office also clarified that the tablets have no internet access and that tablets cannot receive or make phone or video calls.
MCSO said that the only form of communication that a tablet can provide is through a written, text-style messaging system, which requires message recipients to agree to be contacted; the recipients must also be verified.
The sheriff’s office said that around 20,000 people are booked into the county jail per year, and jail occupants are only allowed limited daily access to the tablets. When the agency learns of tablet misuse or abuse, it moves quickly to revoke the responsible occupant’s communication privileges.
MCSO said that anyone who believes they have been contacted against their wishes or menaced by a person in custody can now report it to the sheriff’s office and formally request that communications from that person be blocked.
Those who previously agreed to receive messages from someone in custody can choose to stop receiving them at any time by deleting the messaging app. The sheriff's office said that the messages are still preserved, so recipients who delete the app can still report unwanted contact.
MCSO said that the public will be notified when service resumes.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
