SAN JOSE, Calif. — Less than 24 hours after the installation of surveillance cameras that Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith purchased on her own credit card, a major fight between inmates at the jail was caught on camera.
Thursday’s fight was recorded by the same cameras that Smith purchased the day before, which were installed on the fourth floor in pod 4A, where maximum security inmates are housed.
Two inmates engaged in a fist fight to start off the incident, leading to about a dozen other inmates jumping in, as detailed in a KTVU report.
“It looks like one inmate brushed up against the other and then the fight was on with fists,” Smith said. “You can see a lot of fist fighting going on in the video. The inmates are spread throughout the pod.”
There were no serious injuries reported but some moderate injuries of inmates were treated by the medical staff.
“We’ll be able to look at the video and see if there is any criminal culpability,” Smith said. “We’ll be able to see what happened and the actions of the deputies. We will be able to see everything.”
Smith purchased 12 surveillance cameras at Costco when she learned it would take roughly two years for the county to install the cameras. Instead of waiting for the $20 million in funding, she charged $761.24 on her personal American Express.
