Officer Safety
Officer Safety is a critical concern within correctional facilities, focusing on protecting staff from physical harm and ensuring a secure working environment. This directory provides articles and resources on best practices, training, and equipment that enhance the safety of correctional officers. Understanding the importance of officer safety helps develop strategies to mitigate risks and respond effectively to threats. For further insights, explore our section on Defensive Tactics.
If you want to survive in this world, you have to know your vulnerabilities and you have to be willing to listen to others who have walked the walk before you
The deadly uprisings at Attica, New Mexico State Penitentiary and Lucasville still hold critical lessons for correctional safety, staffing, communication and crisis response
Thousands of officer positions remain unfilled and the state prison agency has struggled to resume normal operations
Sheriff Michael Moore is advocating for a temporary solution due to his deputies spending up to 15 hours traveling as far as Tennessee to transport juvenile inmates from housing facilities to court
“It’s the only way to get anyone’s attention before one of you are calling one of our families to tell a father, a mother, daughter, son was killed in the line of duty,” a 14-year CO said
Understanding the role of personal appearance in officer safety
An inmate headbutted a staff member, and as he was being subdued, “approximately 200 incarcerated people on the yard rushed toward the officers attacking them with fists and rocks,” CDCR said
The inmate fled the hospital; police tracked him to a nearby home where he was found deceased
Matt Tidman testified before a legislative committee in favor of a bill that would ban exercise equipment and free weights from Massachusetts medium and maximum security prisons
The charges were dismissed after the inmate testified he slipped out of his handcuffs to stab another inmate prior to the alleged assault
Addressing misconceptions and safety measures in correctional facilities
Officers should always control the time and place of any interactions with inmates
When the team of corrections officers at Five Points Correctional Facility opened the door to the cell, the inmate charged at the officers with a shank, making stabbing motions toward the head and neck of staff members
Understanding and applying effective interaction techniques in the modern correctional environment
Correctional officers in select locations will wear cameras during shifts to test and perfect their use before a complete agency rollout slated for the end of 2024
