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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview With Cam Hunter
Aired January 25, 2004 - 09:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JASON CARROLL, CNN ANCHOR: The prison hostage standoff at an Arizona prison is entering its eighth day. But some progress was made on day seven. One of the two guards held hostage was released by inmates after they received some undisclosed items from prison officials. A female corrections officer remains in the custody of the two inmates, who are holed up in a guard tower.
For the very latest on the prison standoff, we're joined on the phone by Cam Hunter, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Corrections. Mr. Hunter, thank you so much for joining pus.
CAM HUNTER, ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS: Happy to be with you.
CARROLL: Sounds like -- is it Mr. Hunter or Mrs. Hunter?
HUNTER: Ms. Hunter.
CARROLL: Ms. Hunter, thank you very much. Can you just give us a sense, I know that one guard has been released. What is the status of trying to reach out and get that second guard released?
HUNTER: The release occurred about midday yesterday, during the night. As has been the practice since the second day of this event, we've requested health and wellness welfare checks, and we did receive a verbal wellness check from the correctional officer. So we have had some contact. And indications from her are that she's doing OK.
CARROLL: Other than that, she's doing OK. Did she give any other sense of what is going on as she been in there?
HUNTER: You know, the conversation -- I shouldn't even call it a conversation, very limited. We've had two opportunities to see the correctional officers in those verbal contacts, it's very limited. And so there's no conversation, really.
CARROLL: Can you tell us at all what demands these inmates have been making?
HUNTER: Well, that's an interesting part of this. Our sense is that the inmates are monitoring media. Negotiating team has been very careful about revealing any information. They don't want to set off the negotiations in a bad way. And their goal is that this has to be a negotiated release.
CARROLL: We certainly don't want to give anything away. What can you also then tell us about when you believe this standoff might end?
HUNTER: You know, that's not being told to me. What has been imparted is that in a hostage negotiation, that time is on our side and patience as they build rapport with the inmates. We now have back and forth exchange, they have requested at times food or beverages, and those have been delivered to them. And so the sense is that we continue to build that rapport.
CARROLL: Is that something that's -- I don't know if you have very much experience in all of this -- but is that normal, that you would provide them with food, with water, whatever else they may need in order to just keep them on your good side?
HUNTER: Well, what I can tell you is we have a cadre of hostage negotiators that have come together, and the very best, we believe, and they seem to be having successes.
CARROLL: Have you -- what about the rest of the prisoners who are there? Are they in lockdown? What is their situation?
HUNTER: This is the second largest prison complex in Arizona, 4,600 inmates. Went on lockdown immediately, and that continues. And that means no movement. Everything is conducted in the cells. The food, they are getting some mail delivery, laundry. But lockdown continues.
CARROLL: All right, we're certainly hoping for a positive outcome for you, Ms. Hunter, from the Arizona Department of Corrections. Thank you so very much for joining us this morning.
HUNTER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 25, 2004 - 09:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JASON CARROLL, CNN ANCHOR: The prison hostage standoff at an Arizona prison is entering its eighth day. But some progress was made on day seven. One of the two guards held hostage was released by inmates after they received some undisclosed items from prison officials. A female corrections officer remains in the custody of the two inmates, who are holed up in a guard tower.
For the very latest on the prison standoff, we're joined on the phone by Cam Hunter, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Corrections. Mr. Hunter, thank you so much for joining pus.
CAM HUNTER, ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS: Happy to be with you.
CARROLL: Sounds like -- is it Mr. Hunter or Mrs. Hunter?
HUNTER: Ms. Hunter.
CARROLL: Ms. Hunter, thank you very much. Can you just give us a sense, I know that one guard has been released. What is the status of trying to reach out and get that second guard released?
HUNTER: The release occurred about midday yesterday, during the night. As has been the practice since the second day of this event, we've requested health and wellness welfare checks, and we did receive a verbal wellness check from the correctional officer. So we have had some contact. And indications from her are that she's doing OK.
CARROLL: Other than that, she's doing OK. Did she give any other sense of what is going on as she been in there?
HUNTER: You know, the conversation -- I shouldn't even call it a conversation, very limited. We've had two opportunities to see the correctional officers in those verbal contacts, it's very limited. And so there's no conversation, really.
CARROLL: Can you tell us at all what demands these inmates have been making?
HUNTER: Well, that's an interesting part of this. Our sense is that the inmates are monitoring media. Negotiating team has been very careful about revealing any information. They don't want to set off the negotiations in a bad way. And their goal is that this has to be a negotiated release.
CARROLL: We certainly don't want to give anything away. What can you also then tell us about when you believe this standoff might end?
HUNTER: You know, that's not being told to me. What has been imparted is that in a hostage negotiation, that time is on our side and patience as they build rapport with the inmates. We now have back and forth exchange, they have requested at times food or beverages, and those have been delivered to them. And so the sense is that we continue to build that rapport.
CARROLL: Is that something that's -- I don't know if you have very much experience in all of this -- but is that normal, that you would provide them with food, with water, whatever else they may need in order to just keep them on your good side?
HUNTER: Well, what I can tell you is we have a cadre of hostage negotiators that have come together, and the very best, we believe, and they seem to be having successes.
CARROLL: Have you -- what about the rest of the prisoners who are there? Are they in lockdown? What is their situation?
HUNTER: This is the second largest prison complex in Arizona, 4,600 inmates. Went on lockdown immediately, and that continues. And that means no movement. Everything is conducted in the cells. The food, they are getting some mail delivery, laundry. But lockdown continues.
CARROLL: All right, we're certainly hoping for a positive outcome for you, Ms. Hunter, from the Arizona Department of Corrections. Thank you so very much for joining us this morning.
HUNTER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
