Report: Pennsylvania State Police Should Install Video, Cage Bars to Vehicles

The Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Citizen Advisory Committee made several recommendations to the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) regarding use of force, bias-based policing, and critical incidents in a December 2021 report. They included changes to police vehicles.

In its Use of Force report, the committee recommended the PSP continue its efforts to procure fully integrated patrol vehicle mobile video recorder (MVR) systems that include cloud storage, along with body-worn cameras. It further recommended the PSP consider purchasing adequate quantities of permanently installed security shields or “cage cars” that allow transportation without the need to handcuff, as circumstances permit.

In its response, the PSP said it would continue to procure fully integrated patrol vehicle video/audio recording systems, and said it has been actively engaged in the process of obtaining and deploying body-worn cameras.

The PSP agreed that protective barriers in vehicles would add a layer of officer safety, but said “upgrades to the PSP current fleet of service vehicles is subject to budgetary constraints.” The PSP added that it would still be necessary to secure a prisoner with handcuffs, even with cages.