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Document DOJ-OGR-00023450

AI Analysis

Summary: The document discusses the failure of the security camera recording system at the institution, the response to the failure, and the roles and responsibilities of staff regarding camera system maintenance. It was discovered that roughly half of the institution's cameras were not recording due to a hard drive failure in DVR 2. The Electronics Technician's actions and decisions regarding the repair are scrutinized.
Significance: This document is potentially important because it reveals a critical failure in the security camera recording system at the institution where Epstein was being held, and highlights issues with staff responsibilities and response to the failure.
Key Topics: Failure of security camera recording system Response to the recording failure on August 8 and 9 Roles and responsibilities of staff regarding camera system maintenance
Key People:
  • Electronics Technician - Responsible for assessing and maintaining the camera recording system
  • Facility Manager - Supervisor of the Electronics Technician and responsible for overall facility management
  • SIS Lieutenant - Believed Electronics Technician should check the system daily
  • Warden - Oversees the institution's security and operations
Document Type
Report
Date
Unknown
Pages
1
Folder
IMAGES009

Full Text

recorded video was available for several of the institution's cameras, so she reported the matter to the Communications Office, and the Electronics Technician arrived to assess the problem sometime before his shift was scheduled to end. The Electronics Technician told the OIG that he found that roughly half of the institution's approximately 150 cameras, which were assigned to record to DVR 2, were displaying a live video feed but were not recording. The Electronics Technician told the OIG that, before Epstein's death, no one was specifically tasked with ensuring that video from the cameras was being recorded. The Electronics Technician said he therefore did not perform any daily checks to ensure that video was being recorded. The Warden indicated that SIS staff are usually responsible for checking the system for recording functionality and reporting any problems to the Communications Office. However, the SIS Lieutenant told the OIG that it was her belief that the Electronics Technician should have been checking the system daily to ensure it was recording. The OIG found that there are no BOP policies that specifically state that institutional staff must perform periodic checks to ensure the camera system is fully functional or that security camera systems have the capacity to record.50 The Facility Manager told the OIG that since Epstein's death, he now checks to ensure that all cameras and the recording system are working on a daily basis, and he subsequently provides a report about the status of the system to the facility's executive staff, the SIS, and the electronics technicians. B. Response on August 8 and 9 to Discovery of the Recording Failure On August 8, following discovery of the recording failure, Company 1 service request records reflect that the Electronics Technician contacted a Company 1 technical support representative, who ultimately determined that two hard drives within DVR 2 had failed. According to the Electronics Technician and the Company 1 service request record, the Company 1 representative informed the Electronics Technician that the two drives needed to be replaced and DVR 2 needed to be rebuilt in order for the cameras to record again. The Electronics Technician told the OIG that he informed a Company 1 Technician that he had to obtain the drives from MCC New York's Computer Services Manager. The Electronics Technician further stated that he left the institution at the end of his shift and did not obtain the hard drives and did not continue to work on the matter. The Electronics Technician told the OIG he had "no idea" why he did not stay at the facility to resolve the problem that day, but he noted for the OIG that he had not historically been required to stay after his shift ended to work on such matters, and even if he had begun working on the DVR that day, he would not have completed the work on August 8 due to the time the rebuilding process takes.51 The OIG found that the Electronics Technician's immediate supervisor, the Facility Manager, was on leave that week and therefore was not told on August 8 about the DVR recording failure. The Facility Manager confirmed that he did not learn about the camera problem until days after Epstein's death. The Electronics Technician told the OIG that he did not report the problem to the Lock and Security Supervisor, who was the Acting Facility Manager in the Facility Manager's absence. The SIS Lieutenant told the OIG that after the Electronics Technician had examined the system on August 8, the Electronics Technician informed her that cameras were not recording and said, "I'm going to stay and do overtime tonight." Based on his comment, 50 For example, BOP Program Statement 5500.15, Correctional Services Manual, states generally that the Warden must establish a security inspection system that involves all departments but does not specifically address security camera systems. This program statement is a restricted policy that is not released to the public in its entirety. 51 According to open source information on digital data storage system rebuilds, the rebuilding process can take up to several days to complete depending on the number of hard drives that were damaged and the storage capacity of each. 83 DOJ-OGR-00023450