Sheriffs given new inmate transportation rules

The Department of Justicehas developed a policy for sheriff officers transporting detainees, a year after a CBC News investigation into a sheriff van crash which injured five people.

At the time of the April 2012 accident, the provincial government did not have a policy mandating the use of seatbelts and also did not have a formal policy on driving in poor weather or bad road conditions.

The crash occurred on icy roads in northern New Brunswick and some passengers were not belted in when the van rolled.

The new policy, obtained by CBC News under the Right to Information Act, is dated Sept. 23, 2014. It has a series of protocols for detainee transfers in bad weather.

A section called, "Inclement Weather and Road Conditions," says the chief sheriff can delay or cancel travel if legal authorities have closed roads or issued a travel advisory. The policy also says "local factors" can trigger a cancellation.

"The supervisor shall consult the Chief Sheriff, where he or she or another sheriff in the region is of the opinion that the weather or road conditions are inappropriate for safe travel due to one or more of the conditions listed below:

(a) reduced visibility due to blowing show or heavy snowfall, rain, or fog;

(b) impassible roads resulting from drifting snow, snowfall, rain, sleet, or ice; or

(c) extremely cold weather."

Sections of policy blacked out

Large portions of the policy were blacked out because the government stated if the information were public it could aid someone in escaping custody.

There is a section dedicated to seatbelting, but it is blacked out.

There is no mention in unredacted sections of the policy of requirements concerning first aid kits or fire extinguishers in the vans.

In the anxious minutes following the April 2012 rollover the two sheriffs trying to treat badly injured detainees found the first aid kit in their van was missing.

There had been problems in an earlier accident in a sheriff van, according to records obtained by CBC News.

In January 2012, sheriffs found there was no fire extinguisher in their van after a fire broke out in the prisoner section of the vehicle.

In that case the driver tried unsuccessfully to smother the fire with blankets and then resorted to using snow to extinguish it.

The policy also says Sheriff Services vehicles "shall be equipped" with global positioning systems (GPS), set up to monitor who is driving the vehicle and how that driver is performing.

The vehicle's location and functions, such as its speed, brakingand acceleration, are to be sent automatically to a central server.

Six months after the date on the policy, and a full year after installation, the GPS system is not operating in Sheriff Services vans.

Justice Minister Stephen Horsman said the GPS system was turned on for two days in July of 2014 but "due to numerous issues it was de-activated ... and remains de-activated until the issues have been resolved."

Horsman stated the department is still trying to resolve issues with the GPS software.

The minister did not respond to requests Thursday or Friday for further comment.