Recently, I had the honor to meet with Sheriff Jamey Noel and take a tour of the Clark County Jail in Indiana. He arranged a tour for me and gave me a frontline look at a facility in need of some serious changes. When the Sheriff took over the jail, he was in shock.
“I knew there were issues going on at the Clark County Jail when I took over, but it was a lot worse than I thought,” Noel said. “Narcotics and drugs were throughout the jail and numerous inmates had money on their books to bond out, but stayed because it was cheaper to get high in jail.”
Recent records show that the Clark County Jail is 36 correctional officers short and five medical personnel short.
“Being that short really hurts our ability to do more random searches and makes direct supervision more difficult,” Noel said. “As for medical, five short in medical is a big liability.” Sheriff Noel is working hard to find funding for these positions.
These concerns were not made evident when A&E aired “60 Days In.” This new perspective gives light to a view that travels far outside a “poorly ran facility.”
With that in mind, here I stood in Clark County, Indiana getting ready to visit the now infamous Clark County Jail. My tour of the facility brought me hand in hand with the dangers of an understaffed facility. For those on the outside looking in, the struggle is evident and the dangers are real.
“Crow’s Nest”
After meeting with executive staff, I was taken to an area called the “Crow’s Nest.” The “Crow’s Nest” is a great resource that maintains an excellent vantage point of POD 3, sections A thru F. Housed in these areas are pre-trial detainees and most low level (5 & 6) offenders. Each section houses about 40 to 45 inmates.
It would be ideal to have an officer at this post 24/7 so vigilance can be maintained in a controlled area, but both trips to the “Crow’s Nest” showed an unmanned post. Sheriff Noel states, “The crows nest used to be manned. The previous sheriff and council cut six positions and it hasn’t been manned for years.”
Ideally, as the officer travels between sections of Pod 3 (A-F), they should be supported with another officer on the floor and one in the “Crow’s Nest” monitoring their movement (safety and security). Cutting the post in the “crow’s nest” now puts a stop to either a second officer’s presence on the floor, or no officer above watching the officer’s back from a controlled area. If they could obtain the funding, Sheriff Noel, for safety and security purposes, would begin placing staff in the “Crow’s Nest.”
Sheriff Noel believes that, “An officer in the crow’s nest would allow more inmate line of sight supervision and it would allow the other officer to assist on the floor. Altogether, it’s safer.”
Reserves
Officers serving as medical personnel. Medical personnel serving as officers. At the Clark County Jail, your prescribed role depends heavily on your current situation. If a medical situation arises and no medical personnel are readily available (there are no medical personnel on third shift, only two staff members available on first, and one available on second), officers, who are trained as EMTs, may find themselves doing the job of a medical professional. In essence, who is willing to do two jobs and get paid for one?
Now, this may sound like a great idea on the surface, but remember, when the officers are performing as medical, they are not performing as custody, which leaves less available custodial manpower to secure the scene.
Sheriff Noel was quick to highlight his concern, “It’s a good idea for the budget I inherited for custody to do pill call, but it’s not the best idea for safety and security.” Again, when funding is low, the Sheriff is forced to make due by having staff perform multiple roles.
What about the roles being reversed? How about medical personnel performing as custody? At Clark County Jail, this can be an everyday occurrence. When security is low on manpower, medical personnel may be asked to put on a uniform and take a unit (of course, they have received some form of training).
I am sure Clark County Jail is very thankful for their reserves, but remember, this is volunteer and volunteers can always say “no.”
Rover Patrol
Another post that was cut by the prior sheriff was rover patrol. If you are unfamiliar with what a rover patrol does, it provides security for both external and internal threats. Basically, it’s presence can deter a threat wanting to enter the facility and can deter a threat that wants to leave the facility.
Rover patrols make their rounds by circling the perimeter of the facility and keeping an eye on anything that appears out of the ordinary. They are the first line of defense for any external threat (protecting the inside) and the last line of defense for any internal threat (protecting the public). As defined by what is stated above, rover patrol is a high priority post and should never have been eliminated from routine day-to-day operations.
Unfortunately Sheriff Noel can only employ a rover patrol when no one is off.
Available Staff
Currently the FTE at the Clark County Jail is 49 Officers. That is 49 Officers divided into three shifts and are responsible for the supervision of almost 500 inmates. There are 15 posts on first, 14 posts on second, and 13 posts on third. This leaves seven officers available for all three shifts to cover RDO’s, sick leave vacations, etc.
When a code happens, and an officer needs assistance, units will be left unmanned as a team assembles to respond. In most cases, the initial team may only consist of two officers. If those two officers can’t handle the situation, the sheriff will be forced to make a call for outside help.
Right now, the sheriff is considering dividing his manpower into two shifts as opposed to three. This will give him more available manpower that he can spread out amongst the two shifts. Officers’ schedules will switch to 12 hour days and will rotate between two days on, two days off, three days on, two days off, two days on, three days off, etc. The jail will run on a two shift schedule (6am-6pm) in which things run as normal (program, services, etc.) in first shift and second shift is lock down (6pm – 6am). Therefore, more manpower can be devoted to first shift and the second shift will be more of a security-based shift.
Conflicts of Leadership
Sheriff Noel, as a leader, is forced to make due. As a leader, he can complain, but he also must remain proactive. If he remains idle, waiting for change to occur, people could get hurt, lives could be lost. Therefore, as the sheriff fights for the needed changes, he is doing what he can to make the facility safe. The choices he is being forced to make are not ideal, but it’s better than remaining idle.
“I knew that taking this position would not be a walk in the park,” Noel said. “I knew changes would have to be made. If those above contest my need, I will be forced to find an alternate route. My priority is the safety of staff and inmates. Even though I feel that no one is listening, I still complain. But, in the meantime, I have to be inventive, and I have to act. I have to be proactive.”
