Corrections Vehicles as Emergency Vehicles

[Dinosaur 844]

What makes a prisoner transport an emergency?

Yesterday on the Taconic two NYC Department of Correction vehicles screamed past me with their lights flashing and siren blaring apparently going up to one of the state prisons somewhere. Why is this an emergency and why are they authorized to use lights and sirens to move inmates around?

When my town police transport prisoners they never use lights or siren.

Is there something I'm missing?

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Could be a high profile prisoner? I know CT DOC Special Ops routinely does escorts of high priority prisoners for security purposes. Not sure.

[v85 212]

It could be a lot of things. It could have been, like mentioned, a high profile inmate; or one who needed to be in court NOW for whatever reason. It could also have been an inmate having a medical emergency. Depending on the security risks and what was wrong, it might be preferable to go code to the hospital , rather than wait for EMS.

[sympathomedic 383]

At Empress we do a fair amount of prison work. The CO in the van follows the ambulance, and there is a CO in the ambulance. We rarely go lights and sirens, but sometimes. In years past they had no lights/sirens on their vans- STATE vans, not NYC. A few years later they had them. A CO told me that it had some to someones attention that if we go light/sirens and they are following us, they too need lights and sirens.

Doesn't quite apply to your scenario, but it does pertain to your question- if an inmate is having a medical emergency, and an armed CO must follow him to the ED, then that CO should have a lights/sirens on.

[50-65 205]

Or maybe, it's just because they can.

[FDNY 10-75 640]

When the state and local COs do it up here it's usually related to an inmate with a medical emergency.

[Dinosaur 844]

Or maybe, it's just because they can.

Sadly this is probably the best answer.

I doubt that there was a NYC CO "10-13" or medical emergency in Dutchess County but whatever.

[Rescue99 9]

Maybe they were responding to a residential lockout?? Nah...then they would be in big red trucks.

[nycemt728 49]

There are certain situations during prisoner transport where stopping may be risk. And as for authorization, they are law enforcement officers with peace officer status in NYS...

[99subi 121]

Sadly this is probably the best answer.

I doubt that there was a NYC CO "10-13" or medical emergency in Dutchess County but whatever.

Unless you can prove there was and/or wasn't an emergency then this whole thing is a mere assumption. IMO this is a non issue. Whatever they were doing must have warranted them to use their RLS, and if it didn't and they got into a mess they would own it. In addition im sure they are/were well aware that if someone like an off duty boss saw them and made a quick phone call and found out nothing was going on, they would get some grief as well. They know the deal and made a decision based upon it.

just my .2

Edited May 19, 2014 by 99subi

[Dinosaur 844]

Unless you can prove there was and/or wasn't an emergency then this whole thing is a mere assumption. IMO this is a non issue. Whatever they were doing must have warranted them to use their RLS, and if it didn't and they got into a mess they would own it. In addition im sure they are/were well aware that if someone like an off duty boss saw them and made a quick phone call and found out nothing was going on, they would get some grief as well. They know the deal and made a decision based upon it.

just my .2

Wasn't looking to "prove" anything and you're right. This whole thing is nothing but our assumptions and discussions. Just like 90% of the other discussions on here.

Just like people think seeing chief's cars parked at shopping malls hours away from their district is questionable, I think prisoner transports as emergency operations are foolish. That's just my opinion. No biggie.

[Sovereign1 2]

I see Corrections vehicles with lights and siren on a couple of times a week on the Taconic in the morning. Most of the time it is 2 vans. Some times they have an escort vehicle in front of them also with lights and siren. Some days I get behind them and follow them all the way to the Bronx Criminal Court building on 161st Street in the Bronx by Yankee Stadium.