San Joaquin County Sheriff Pat Withrow was a vocal proponent of enhanced surveillance systems within the San Joaquin County Jail.

After facing a situation not long after assuming office where video surveillance was incapable of proving one way or the other which story to believe when an inmate claimed he was assaulted, Withrow began the steps of expanding the surveillance capabilities within the San Joaquin County Jail – protecting both the inmates that are sentenced to serve time there ore are being held there as well as the staff needed to supervise them.

And now that those systems are operational, they may have provided the insight into a claim by an inmate that was lacking the last time something similar occurred.

In his monthly address to constituents Withrow recounted that recently an inmate that was severely intoxicated when he arrived at the San Joaquin County Jail and ultimately presented at an area hospital with injuries he claimed came at the hands of deputies.

The video footage – obtained from the new cameras – provided otherwise, Withrow said.

“We had a guy come in really drunk – go figure – and after he got out of booking, he ended up going to the hospital and claimed that the sheriff’s deputies beat him up while he was in custody. Well, sure enough, our detectives pulled the camera footage and could prove without a doubt he didn’t get beat up here in custody – I don’t know where he did, and he probably doesn’t know where he did, but it didn’t happen here.”

It wasn’t the only time in the last month that the camera system provided much-needed insight into a scenario that may have ended saving someone’s life.

According to Withrow an inmate was being booked into the San Joaquin County Jail and was able to smuggle narcotics into the facility by concealing it within his body. At some point while “dressing out” the inmate “dropped” what was concealed within his body, and an officer spotted something on the floor and was able to recover it before it was brought into the facility.

When officers went back and reviewed the footage, they were able to see exactly what happened and where it came from – and charge the incoming inmate with a host of additional crimes.

“Merry Christmas to him,” Withrow said. “That’s our present to him – extra charges.”

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com.