By Jesse Bogan
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS — Seven corrections officers have been fired for violating the code of ethics for exceeding the use of force.
Dale Glass, commissioner of corrections, said Friday night that the firings stemmed from a November 2013 incident in which an inmate attacked an employee at the Medium Security Institution, known as the City Workhouse Jail, at 7600 North Hall Street.
Glass said use of force was needed to get the inmate under control; however, a review of the case indicated that officers retaliated against the man.
The case was referred to police, but the jailers haven’t been charged with a crime. They were fired in April.
“We had enough information to cause us to believe that those individuals had violated the code of ethics,” Glass said.
The inmate who was allegedly retaliated against didn’t cooperate with authorities, nor seek to press charges.
“I felt strong enough that I needed to take action even though he would not cooperate,” Glass said.
Glass, who is approaching his third year at the helm of city corrections, was the subject of a story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last month. The report mentioned that under his leadership the jail population has dropped and there haven’t been any escapes.
The story raised questions about Missouri’s lack of jail standards and the call by protesters to shut the workhouse down. The notorious facility that dates to 1964 has been the subject of many investigations.
When previously asked about tracking the number of attacks involving guards, Glass instead said he prefers to monitor programs. He has welcomed more volunteers and specialty courts to get more involved and divert inmates such as veterans to treatment and special programs.
The April firing of the seven corrections officers was first reported by Channel 4 Friday night.
Glass said it likely wasn’t reported earlier because it was a personnel issue.
“Any time there is an allegation against a staff member or abuse or violation of the code of ethics,” Glass said, “I always refer it to police.”