Safety Issues

[Don]

What safety issues do you feel are peculiar to your facility? How are they being addressed by your agency, if in fact they are?

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"We're sorry, the number you have dialed, 911, is no longer in service. This is a recording. . ."
6P1 (retired)

[JKT]

Three words: training, training, training.

Officer safety and security are the biggest problems I see.

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Optimistic pessimist: Hope for the best, but expect the worst.

Jack

[Tackleberry]

Officers who become complacent in their jobs and take it for granted. This undermines the security of the job and other officers safety. I had a rookie officer the other day who was supervising a housing unit of 96 inmates send an inmate out to the control booth for a battery for his radio. I informed the inmate to go back to the unit and have the officer call me. He called me and gave me a load of ****. I said look for one thing you don't send inmates for batteries for your radio. 1. they know you don't have communication now. 2. you just gave them a weapon to throw at you. I said if the Sgt. sees me give an inmate a battery he's sending you and me home for the day and I have enough common sense not to give an inmate a battery, do you got it?? He said he was very sorry and while working the day shift he seen another very veteran officer do this very thing! I see this all the time with guys that have 10 and 20years of service doing this **** and then they go on to train new people in their bad habits. They come to 3-11 shift with very good officers with 1-8yrs experience and its like night and day to them. It's like they get trained all over except the right way. Administration insists on training these guys on the dayshift instead of the shift where the stuff is done the right way. I pretty much refuse to work OT on dayshift because of this. Well I do feel better now that the venting is over!

Tac

[Don]

With my last county, I worked for two years in the old jail, prior to taking the residency post. Then I worked my last year before retirement in the new jail. The new jail was a modern design and set up with officer safety and ease of working it in mind.

The old jail was just that. An old time jail. It had all manual locks that had to be key operated, it had so many safety defects that it wasn

[wonderwoman]

feedback I get is that BOREDOM is a big time issue..... its a boring job year after year unless you work in a correctional facility verses a detention facility. A correctional facility offers the correctional officer more variety in the day like going out into the community on work projects etcetera. (I am talking about shorter term stays (less then 2 years) And you are right about old jails, they are very depressing... few windows and a terrible lack of space. Built for say 100 and now holding twice that.
Lack of public support is another main thing. Fighting for pride in the job is a big thing.... people forget they are correctional officers, not guards! The public, for the most part doesn't care about corrections unless something bad happens and then they are all over the media. The image of Correctional Officers has come a long way but still has a long way to go! Have you heard many people say they want to grow up and become a correctional officer?

Originally posted by Don:
What safety issues do you feel are peculiar to your facility? How are they being addressed by your agency, if in fact they are?

[Tackleberry]

We are lucky in that we have several officers who are volunteers who do public awareness type stuff. We run the "Get Smart" program for kids who get a real look and taste at jail life. We run the "DARE" program, victim awareness. We have been at fairs where we set-up a booth with pictures, videos and some of our riot gear and firearms. We've also handed out trigger locks and given gun safety demonstrations. At a large fair type event our CERT team has given a demonstration of capturing a suspect in full swat gear and all. The crowd really loved this and we earned a new type of respect from the public who thinks we don't do this type of stuff. A lot of people think we still walk up and down long walkways with billy clubs and the prisoners stayed locked up 24/7 or that we carry guns.


Tac

[wonderwoman]

Tac, those sound like good programs, are you able to share any of the particulars with others for use or implementation? I'm thinking of the GET SMART and the DARE.


Originally posted by Tackleberry:

We are lucky in that we have several officers who are volunteers who do public awareness type stuff. We run the "Get Smart" program for kids who get a real look and taste at jail life. We run the "DARE" program, victim awareness. We have been at fairs where we set-up a booth with pictures, videos and some of our riot gear and firearms. We've also handed out trigger locks and given gun safety demonstrations. At a large fair type event our CERT team has given a demonstration of capturing a suspect in full swat gear and all. The crowd really loved this and we earned a new type of respect from the public who thinks we don't do this type of stuff. A lot of people think we still walk up and down long walkways with billy clubs and the prisoners stayed locked up 24/7 or that we carry guns.


Tac

[Rambo2]

In accordance with Wonderwoman said towards the end of her paragraph, "Who ever says that they want to be a CO when they get older," my question is...What did make all of you guys want to become CO's? Why are CO's so badly portrayed by the public? Why is it that many police officers that I come across feel that CO's are "wanna be cops" this is what I get when I tell certain people that I may become a detention officer..I find it to be annoying!!

Ron

[Tackleberry]

I kinda fell into the job. I was looking in the paper one day and saw the ad. It stated pretty good pay and decent benefits. It paid more then I was making at the time so I said what the heck why not apply. It wasn't like I dreamnt growing up of becoming a CO. After getting the job and doing it for a while I realized I was pretty good at it, the pay was very good and it had a lot of room for advancement into other lines of work. After a few years I wanted to advance to police work so I with my department's approval I went 11-7 and went to the police academy in the daytime. I then got a part-time job as a police officer. I actually make more as a C.O. and like to keep things the way they are for the present time. I think the reason a lot of cop's are putting us down is because they don't know our job and what we do. They also don't know the type of training we receive. When a C.O. acts off-duty we resort to our training and experience just like a cop. We aren't trying to be police but just because we are off-duty doesn't make us any less a leo then them. Like them we can't stand by and let a serious crime go on in our prescence. Last time I checked the oath's of office are still the same. As sometimes things may have it some C.O.s give us a bad name but 99% are great people and excellent at what we do. I try and remind some police who shake their head that we deal with the same people as they do. Just because they arrest them and drop them off it doesn't mean its the end of the story. In a lot of state's C.O.s are more recognized as LEO's. There have been plenty of off-duty C.O.s who have ended dangerous situations and saved lifes. I am never ashamed to wear my badge and tell others I am a C.O., I feel when they shake their head it is my duty to educate them on what I do. Simply put we are the "Police" of the jail period. If a situation happens be it robbery, murder, assaults, riots, arson, rape, drugs, fires, medical emergencies we do not call the police we are the "police"! Just because we are off-duty does not make us any less then whats stated above. Law enforcement is a life style and a career. I understand how some police officers could feel we are stomping on their grounds if we get involved. I only say to those who feel threatened by us is to say they do not really know us. Luckily many, many police officers out their were once C.O.s and do understand. You will find if you pick corrections you are not in it for the glamour. If you are looking for a pat on the back or public acceptance you will not find it here. We are not really liked or understood by anyone but us. Not the public, not the police, not the inmates, not administration and certianly not hollywood or the press. This is the most thankless job in law enforcement. But you can take pride in the job you do and do what you can to make our image better then it is worth it.


Tac

[Don]

Rambo,

As a younger officer, I never WANTED to work the jail. Most deputies don

[JKT]

[quote]Originally posted by Don:
[b]I think it was Tac who posted something about

[Rambo2]

I definitely agree with what you guys have to say. What are some of the highlights of being a CO? Do many officers find themselves in danger with the inmates while working? Have you guys ever been stalked by gangs or others that the inmates may know on the outside? I am assuming that if you are working in a jail it must be pretty funny on the weekends having these drunks come in off the street or coming down from a high?

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I think it is great to hear stories and opinions from the people who do this job day in and out...I really appreicate all the feedback and I am getting more knowledeable about this field everyday!

Thanks

Ron

[JKT]

Rambo2, yeah it has it's moments. As to the drunks, some are funny, but there are also those that want to fight, think they are invincible, etc.

You also have some special precautions that have to be taken to insure their safety. We have had more than one aspirate his own vomit and die.

I had a longer reply to your questions, but that warrants another thread.

To the topic at hand: Safety Issues

One of our biggest problems concerning safety is also one of our biggest expenses and headaches.

MAINTENANCE

We can't seem to be able to keep rolling doors working, locks that won't secure properly because of lack of maintenance. Bunks that come loose (welds break), bars and door closers that fall off (literally).

Drains that clog up, which is not surprising, considering the number of fixtures that lead into a 5" sewer main that then gets necked down to a 4" then a 3" to tie into the city system.

Poor design and NO planning for future expansion. Low bid strikes again!

The saddest part is that our facility is only 20 years old, with the newer part being only 10 years old. Strangely enough, the older area is the one with the fewest maintenance problems.

I must be having a bad day, I'm usually not this vocal. http://www.officer.com/ubb/confused.gif


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Optimistic pessimist: Hope for the best, but expect the worst.

Jack

[Don]

Originally posted by JKT:


Drains that clog up, which is not surprising, considering the number of fixtures that lead into a 5" sewer main that then gets necked down to a 4" then a 3" to tie into the city system.



I thought I had seen every stupid building design that there was, but this one takes the cake! Sheesh http://www.officer.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif



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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.
6P1 (retired)

[Tackleberry]

Corrections definetly has it moments thats for sure. You can easily go from sheer boredom to all hell breaking loose in a blink of an eye. Our main objective is to maintain security in the prison, my prison has floors broken down to 4 housing units per floor. Each housing unit consists of 96 inmates. The lower the floor the lesser the crime with the higher floors for violent and maximum security inmates. On any given day we have several "Code-Reds" which is our radio code for a breech in security. This can be anything from an inmate disobeying verbal and direct orders from an officer to a fight between inmates which most code red's usually being the latter example given. Daily we average in our facility 2-3 code reds which is pretty busy but we do house 2000 inmates for a county jail and this can happen when people do not get along. We also have our share of "code-blues" which is the designation for a medical emergency. We average mostly 1 code blue a day. This can be an inmate slipping and falling, exercise injuries, choking, heart attacks, and at night inmates falling out of their bunks! There are some days where you are begging for boredom! We deal with mostly all the local and frequent drunks. Most are very funny and comical. We have some that make their stay a little longer when they assault prison staff with their "beer muscles". I have learned on more then one occasion not to turn my back on a belligerent drunk. We also deal with the crazy people which are too violent for the state mental hospital. These guys can break at any minute and assault you for no reason at all. There are some who will smear and eat their own fecal matter and break everthing in their cells. Guess who has to go in after these guys and roll around with them? Hows that for excitement. How about guys who hang themselves or cut up in front of you? Had one rookie pass out when he saw a crazy inmate slit his own throat in front of us. Talk about blood everywhere! I'll change subjects and talk about dealing with inmates now. Inmates will test every officer when they are new. They will blantantly break rules and push to see how far they can get with you. If they know you are a push over then word gets out. At first you need to be real stern and not take any ****. As they get to kno you the testing will stop and they will not mess with you because they know you are for real. You must do your job firm and fair and treat people with respect. If you do this most will give respect back. Also if you cut an inmate a break on a minor infraction they will remember and respect you for it. You will also generate alot of snitches because of it. The inmates must feel that they can talk to you on a personal basis. This sometimes means you will have to be nice to do the job effectively. It will go along way belive me. I've gotten drug and weapons busts because of it. As for gangs we have plenty as all jails or prisons do. We have Bloods, Nietas, Latin Kings, Crips, 2.N.D.'s etc... A lot of my information as a result has lead to busts within the gangs since most push a lot of the drugs. We are also within 1000 feet of a school so this means another and harder charge to go with what they are serving now. Because of this I have been a marked man several times. My name was found in several death threats and to date I have over 200 hundred or so. I document all and keep a file along with pictures, contacts etc... If I have to defend myself off-duty I want to show the DA that this was premeditated and the object of revenge. The DA himself has pulled several of the gangs in when they were really putting the heat on me for questioning and let them know they were being watched and if anything happened to me or my family they would be burried under the prison. As such I am very heavily armed at all times which does suck sometimes. I also make it a habit to wear body armor when going out of the house. Luckily I live out of the city and 30 miles from my job so these guys would stick out like sore thumbs in my neighborhood. We are also lucky that our police station is next door and we have secure parking in the police garage. It would be bad news to strike outside of work thats for sure, 90% of us pack and police are always around. Corrections has its bad and good points and I won't be threatened into not doing my job by these scumbags. I worry more for my family then me. My wife is well aware of what could happen and what to do if something does happen. You can and will put up with a lot of **** and you really have to not be afraid to speak and act with these people. If you are timid or shy this isn't the job. They will know just by your walk, talk and actions how you will be. If you show fear they will see it. Am I afraid of my job, yes. Fear is something that is good and something to overcome and I challenge it daily. Not many people would walk over unarmed and address and break up blatant gambling by 20 gang members. As you do your job well you will get a name and reputation for yourself. You will also remember the names that goes with the faces. You will get and earn respect if you do your job well. I once had an inmate tell me he was going to kill another inmate that was getting on his nerves. He said he wouldn't do it on my shift because he wouldn't disrespect me like that. I said it wouldn't be worth it and not a good idea. I filed the paperwork on what was said and forwarded it to my supervisor who said he was just all talk. The next day in the early morning the guy shanked the other guy! Luckily he didn't kill him though. That is just one example of earning respect for yourself. I could go on and on but I would be here forever. All of the guys in corrections knows what I'm talking about when they read this.


Peace!

Tac

[wonderwoman]

From previous knowledge....As to officers being in danger (and these are my opinions and won't necessarily be true elsewhere) ..... A lot depends on where you are. For example, in small community jails the inmates and the staff are usually on a first name basis. Its "Joe" in jail from the hockey arena ectera. In bigger bigger jails the population is such that you wouldn't be recognized. There is a certain amount of concern when it comes to some of those that are violently mentally ill... but even the normal public would have cause for concern.
It also depends on the type on inmate and the system you are in. For example, in a correctional facility with low sentence inmates that have lots of incentives then you don't have the problems that you would in a maximun setting. The type of inmate has changed alot during the last decade. The young offender is becomming harder to handle, the gangs are growing ectera.
Its really hard to explain a culture in a few paragraphs.
Alot can depend on what type of officer you are. Are you fair and firm? Granted there are those inmates that it doesn't matter how fair you are!!!!
I think Tac said it well about some of the good things...... alot of the reputation depends on how you profile yourself! eh?

Tac... I am still interested in those programs to pass on!


Originally posted by Rambo2:
I definitely agree with what you guys have to say. What are some of the highlights of being a CO? Do many officers find themselves in danger with the inmates while working? Have you guys ever been stalked by gangs or others that the inmates may know on the outside? I am assuming that if you are working in a jail it must be pretty funny on the weekends having these drunks come in off the street or coming down from a high?

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I think it is great to hear stories and opinions from the people who do this job day in and out...I really appreicate all the feedback and I am getting more knowledeable about this field everyday!

Thanks

Ron



[This message has been edited by wonderwoman (edited 04-11-2001).]

[Tackleberry]

Wonderwoman,

I'm sorry I forgot to mention more about the programs we offer. Here goes...The Get Smart program is pretty much geared towards junior high and high school kids. It is also mandated by judges for juvenile offenders as part of their sentencing. The kids are brought in and given a presentation by staff and inmates. The first part we tell them about prison life and what our jobs are. They ask questions and look at what we have called a "Contraband Board" this has all type of weapons and instrutments found in the prison during searches. We also have a "Drug board" which consists of well you guessed it drugs. They also watch videos of us dealing with inmates and inmates dealing with us. This video usually involves us removing an inmate by force for not do what has been ordered. We tell the kids this can be as simple an order as not uncovering a cell light. They see first hand what happens when we tell them what to do and we call all the shots. Then they are taken for a tour through the jail and visit some of the medium security housing units. This is scary for mostly all of them and it shows. They then get treated to a presentation by inmates who "Scare them straight!" and let them know what it's really like in jail. Profanity is the norm. The inmates are instructed to be as real as possible without causing any real harm. We have the inmates say to some of the kids..."Hey I like those nikes give them to me!" or "Hey that sure is a nice watch and gold chain I want that!" The kids hand them over in a flash! We had one kid after the presentation was over was going to leave without his sneakers because he was too afraid to ask the inmate for them back. I said what happened to your sneakers? The kid said nothing, he did this because of what the inmates had said earlier about what happens to snitches in jail. I then said to the inmate should we let him have his sneakers back? The inmate then agrees and returns them. I then said to the boy, make sure you remember this and never forget it because if you come back this is what will happen but worse. In all the program teaches and educates and is very well worth the time and sacrafice. Even if it keeps one kid out of jail it is worth it. As for the scheduling of these programs we have an public relations officer who schedules and sets up these programs to really anyone who wants to attend. We've even had college students attend. In fact in our area the colleges as part of the criminal justice program concerning the corrections part makes them tour the facility and attend a seminar. As far as the DARE program is concerned this is a program for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. It is usually mandated by judges as part of an inmates sentence for early release if that person has a drug or alcohol problem. We have fulltime teachers and a person who runs the program in the jail. They are required to attend several daily meetings and or workshops to help them recover. We also have school kids that attend the program who have problems with drugs or alcohol. It is very successful and is run very well. I hope this answered some of your questions.


Peace!

Tac

[wonderwoman]

Thanks Tac for taking the time to provide the information! http://www.officer.com/ubb/smile.gif