Video captures Borden in jail

The Monroe County Jail has released a security video of James Borden being brought into the jailhouse and taken away motionless on a stretcher last November. Borden, 47, died during the process of being admitted into the Monroe County Jail Nov. 6, 2003. The video shows a disjointed series of images from three separate angles of the incident.\nAs the video opens, three men wearing yellow shirts are leading a propped up Borden into a small room lit by a single overhead light. After entering, the men release Borden, and he is shown standing still and looking around the room.\nNext, Borden is moved out of view from the camera and put up against a wall. Bloomington Police Department Officer David Shaw and one the jail's staff have a hold of him at this time, as two others stand by. This is the same period in which Borden was stunned by a taser gun numerous times, according to the police report. \nThe men remain out of the camera's view for more than 30 seconds, after which one of the yellow-shirted staff members uses a two-way radio. Borden is then laid flat on the floor, noticeably unresponsive and his abdomen exposed. The jail's staff begins to become more active, exiting and reentering with a nurse who began giving him medical attention. \nTen minutes later, the Bloomington Hospital medical team arrives, and the jail's staff step aside.\nWith more than 10 people in the cramped room at a time, the medical team continues to work on Borden. After a few minutes, he is placed on a stretcher, and the room is emptied.\nBill Steger of the Monroe County Legal Department declined to comment on the contents of the video.\nBorden's family sued the Lawrence County and Monroe County Police departments in February. The Monroe County coroner previously told the Indiana Daily Student Borden died of a heart attack, drug intoxication and electrical shock.\nWhen previously quoted by the IDS, Monroe County Sheriff Steve Sharp said Borden became violent once he was in custody, and then the taser was used. \nMarc Haggerty, a member of the Citizens Investigating the Death of James L. Borden Sr. organization, said Indiana laws limit the use of tasers. \n"The only reasons for the lawful use of tasers by jail officials include self-defense, to protect property and to prevent escape of detention," Haggerty said. \n Borden had been under home detention for a DWI violation, but he violated it on the morning of Nov. 5. \nHaggerty said a telephone hearing was held on Nov. 6 with Judge Michael Hoff to determine if Borden should remain on the detention program. Records of this taped conversation were lost, but if Community corrections had notified the jail of Borden's health problems, he may have been taken to the hospital instead of the jail, Haggerty said.\n"An important goal of our efforts is to spread the truth of this story to as many people as possible," Haggerty said. "A possible result might be to stop the use of tasers in the jail and to adopt a crisis intervention training program at the jail."\n-- Contact staff writer Tim Callahan at tmcallah@indiana.edu.