Maricopa Webcam Offline

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A federal court affirmed a previous ruling saying the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s live jail Webcam violated the Constitution, but Sheriff’s officials said the cameras were already off.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco recently affirmed a U.S. District Court ruling that live Internet images of inmates in holding cells violate the 14th Amendment protection against punishment of those not convicted of a crime.

The cameras were at the Madison Street Jail, where defendants are kept while awaiting trial, and broadcast images of the detainees being booked, photographed, fingerprinted and searched.

Sheriff’s officials said the cameras were removed after Internet sponsorship dissolved, so the decision doesn’t change anything. However, if Sheriff Joe Arpaio finds another Internet host, he might ask the full 9th Circuit court to review the three judges’ split decision, officials say.