The Chester County Jail is planning major security upgrades following Cavalcante’s escape

Following convicted murderer Danelo Cavalante’s daring escape on August 31, Chester County Jail officials have begun making security upgrades at the facility. The prison will reportedly undergo a series of upgrades over the next six to 12 months to prevent further security breaches like the one that sent authorities on a 13-day manhunt and left residents on tenterhooks while Cavalcante remained at large was.

Chester County Jail Assistant Warden Howard Holland told residents at a community center Monday evening that the facility is planning various improvements, according to multiple news reports. Cameras and recording devices were not allowed at the meeting, but Holland spoke to reporters afterward.

“We’re going to take advantage of this facility and bring it up to date with the latest technology,” Holland said said 6ABC after the meeting. Planned security improvements at the prison include additional staff, upgrades to surveillance cameras, additional barbed wire and the use of drones and other technology to detect prisoner movements.

The area from which Cavalcante escaped was already fortified with more military-grade barbed wire and mesh to prevent prisoners from slipping through, as Cavalcante did so easily after him strategically On August 31st, he ran up a wall in the prison exercise yard.

Prison authorities are also reportedly considering deploying K9 units and ankle bracelets for additional high-risk inmates at the facility.

Cavalcante wasn’t the first prisoner to expose lax security at the Chester County Jail. An inmate named Igor Bolte attempted to escape the facility earlier this year using the same escape route as Cavalcante. Unlike Cavalcante, Bolte was quickly arrested.

The planned security improvements were shared with residents during a community meeting in Popcopson Township to address residents’ concerns after Cavalcante’s escape and subsequent manhunt kept them on tenterhooks for 13 days. Cavalcante was captured last week and taken back into custody after he was spotted by police using a thermal imaging camera. The convicted murderer, who was sentenced to life in prison for killing his ex-girlfriend in 2021, has been charged with additional offenses following his escape from prison.