K-9 law enforcement unit sweeps Luzerne County Correctional Facility

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WILKES-BARRE — Law enforcement with K-9 dogs raided the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on Thursday as part of an “Operation Clean Sweep,” county Manager Romilda Crocamo informed council.

“The purpose is to locate and eradicate contraband” inside the prison on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre, Crocamo’s Thursday morning communication said.

The sweep was a joint operation that included county correctional staff, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections K-9 Unit, the county Drug Task Force, Pennsylvania State Police and Wilkes-Barre Police, Crocamo told council members, promising to keep them updated.

At 4 p.m. she reported back to council with the following summary from county Correctional Services Division Head James Wilbur:

• Minimal contraband was located, “indicating our staff continues to do a tremendous job at keeping the facility and the inmates safe.”

• All potential contraband was collected, and the county District Attorney’s Office will file appropriate charges.

• No staff members were found to be in possession of anything illegal.

During a budget meeting in 2022, county officials had discussed bringing back a drug detection dog, but the expense was not added to the budget.

Past correctional services division head J. Allen Nesbitt had eliminated the prison canine program in 2014, based largely on an outside consultant’s recommendation it would save money. Nesbitt had said other local police departments and the state Department of Corrections have agreed to provide canine assistance if the need arises.

Critics had argued the steady presence of a canine in the Water Street facility provided safety benefits worth the investment. The county spent $11,054 in 2012 for the food, veterinary care and training of four dogs in addition to compensation for prison K-9 officers to keep the dogs at their homes.