The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday, Oct. 13, that it is suspending the messaging feature on tablets used by people held at the Milwaukee County Jail. The pause is intended to give the agency time to review its controls and establish new protocols after confirmed reports of people in custody using the system to contact potential witnesses in their criminal cases. Sheriff Denita R. Ball said the decision was meant to protect victims and witnesses while preserving other uses of the devices. People in custody will continue to have tablet access for educational, entertainment and legal purposes, the office said. The move follows a directive from Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who said Oct. 9 that he had ordered the Community Reintegration Center to suspend tablet messaging after allegations that some inmates used the service to threaten victims. Crowley also urged the sheriff’s office to take similar action at the county jail. The union representing sheriff’s deputies had separately called for messaging to be suspended at both county correctional facilities, citing concerns about safety and staffing. The sheriff’s office says about 20,000 people are booked into the jail each year. The tablets do not provide internet access or video calls, and messages can be exchanged only with verified recipients. The office says use is limited each day and the devices come at no cost to taxpayers. The sheriff’s office asked anyone who believes they have received an unwanted message from someone in jail to report it to the agency. It did not announce how long the messaging suspension would last.