By Todd Gilchrist, C1 Contributor
August 29, 2013, started like any other run-of-the-mill day at the Muskegon County Jail. At approximately 4:00 p.m., that suddenly changed.
The call for assistance over the radio was far from the normal call that we have all heard hundreds of times when two inmates are fighting in a cell. “Need assistance, third floor security, now.” A few seconds later followed: “Hurry, need assistance, we need an ambulance, there is blood everywhere, third floor now, weapons involved.”
Over the next couple of minutes, several similar calls for assistance went out over the radio. Deputies as well as sergeants from various divisions rushed to the third floor to assist, only to find no one in sight. It did not take more than a blink of an eye for the eight to 10 deputies and sergeants to realize that assistance was actually needed on the second floor.
In unison, everyone turned and responded to the second floor. As assistance arrived, one very bloody deputy and a second deputy that was physically exhausted were holding an uncooperative, resisting inmate on the floor. By the time the inmate was secured and ready to be escorted to a secure temporary holding cell on the first floor, the bloodied deputy was off the floor and being treated by paramedics.
What I saw next was shocking to the core.
Inmate’s devious plans
Deputies began pointing out makeshift weapons that the inmate had in his possession. On the floor near the inmate were two knives made of Plexiglas; near his cell was a softball-sized piece of concrete; on the floor where he’d been held down were the leg irons and belly chains that he’d been wearing.
Information came in that the inmate had just left his weekly 30-minute visit and his visitor never showed up. The assaults occurred while the two deputies were returning the inmate to his security cell. The concrete chunk was believed to have been in his cell and not on his person, but that is not confirmed.
What we learned in the following days was that this inmate had been in the same security cell for just over five months. He had been practicing unlocking his handcuffs and leg irons cuffs with various small, makeshift devices. He had become very proficient at it.
Finding and fixing weaknesses
As with any major incident, it’s easy to sit back and armchair-quarterback the people involved and judge them for wrongdoings. In this case, Sheriff Dean Roesler held an after-action incident briefing one week later. The purpose of an after-incident debriefing is not to place blame, but to point out the good and the bad aspects.
Why was assistance called to the wrong floor? The answers were clear to all of us that work in the facility: the deputy was assigned that shift as a floater. That means he assists both second and third floor throughout his 12-hour shift. Both floors look identical, other than a small #2 and #3 posted by the elevator. During a high-stress situation, it was easy to make such an error.
The fix: We will be adding more identifiers to the floors to help deputies see at every turn what floor they are currently on.
How could an inmate end up with such deadly weapons? The answer to this question was not as simple, but understandable.
The concrete was given to this inmate by his neighboring cellmate, taken from near the stainless steel sink/toilet combination unit in every cell. Due to years of moisture, concrete become easy to break away. It was not visible from the officer catwalk.
As for the Plexiglas, the inmate had removed the cover from a light fixture that was in a difficult-to-see location but that he could reach from the top of the bars in his cell. He broke off pieces and slid the remaining section back on top of the light fixture. The light fixture was also not visible from the catwalk, as it sits directly overhead and rests nearly an inch from the outer bars that the inmates have alternating access to[KS1] . Also notable was that both of the shards were sharpened on the outer edges and to a sharp point on the tip.
The fix: Cell checks will now be conducted whenever a cell is vacant while inmates are at visits or court appearances. Shift supervisors will also assign regular cell checks randomly throughout the facility. Cell checks will include inspection of the cell’s structure, not just inmate’s belongings.
How were none of the items found on the inmate and in his cell located during routine cell searches? That answer was a little more upsetting to everyone involved. A strip search of the inmate prior to being taken from the facility for medical treatment for the injuries he sustained in his escape attempt turned up a packet of tuna fish secured to his leg, a makeshift pocket inside his jumpsuit, small pieces of sharpened wood threaded into his boxers and t-shirt, and 18 dollar coins secured to his waist. As all the deputies and both sergeants that were involved in the incident and the immediate response sat and discussed this, it was clear that due to the increase in the workload and chronic overcrowding, cell searches have become less common and less detailed.
The fix: The Muskegon County Jail has been overcrowded for many years. On top of that, the number of violent offenders has grown. It’s become very obvious in the aftermath of this incident that something needed to be done. Sheriff Roesler has declared emergency overcrowding in accordance with Michigan’s Jail Overcrowding Act. This allows for a 30 percent reduction of sentences for non-violent offenders, all non-violent offenders whose bonds are less than $7,000 would be released on a signature bond, and no warrantless misdemeanor arrests will be accepted in the jail.
Correcting critical errors
Though there are many more issues that affected this particular incident, the largest question at hand is simple: What will we do to help prevent this particularly violent type of incident from happening again? The obvious answer is that we will never stop inmates from attempting such things; however, we know we made some critical errors leading up to this incident.
- Never rush your job: Safety and security can never take a backseat to moving inmates rapidly through the cell. Visits can wait, judges can wait, and attorneys can wait. Safety can never wait.
- Regularly move inmates: Do not let inmates get too comfortable in one cell or location.
- Search and live: Regularly search inmates whenever they are left alone and prior to inmate movement. This inmate was left alone in a secured visiting booth for 20 minutes. He had unlocked his leg irons and handcuffs. Had that been discovered prior to moving the inmate back to his cell area, more assistance would have been nearby.
- Search cells: Regardless of how busy you are, take a few minutes to enter cells and look around.
- Situational awareness: Always be aware of your surroundings. Know your location, know what the inmates around you are doing, and pay attention to what inmates are looking at. Inmates watching your key control and movements is always a warning sign.
- Communication: Communication does not just include radio traffic. Communication includes briefing notes, passing on logs, and face-to-face information sharing. Our agency has decided to keep a log book in the control box of our security cells to keep notes concerning problems with inmates. This will include placement reasons such as security concerns and administrative segregation.
- Never stop learning: No matter how long you have been on the job, you are never too smart or experienced to learn new tricks of the trade.
The two deputies who were involved in the initial assault were transported for medical treatment at a local emergency room. Luckily for all involved, no one was injured by the makeshift knives. One deputy took 14 staples to the back of the head and had a mild to moderate concussion.
A month after the assault he is still having side effects associated with the head injury. He had initially returned to work a few days after the assault but is currently seeing a neurologist. The other deputy sustained a mild concussion and had no other obvious injuries. He returned to work on his next scheduled shift three days later.