By Jesse Bogan
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS — Jails are notorious for having high staff turnover, both for corrections officers who leave on their own or for being terminated. St. Louis isn’t the exception.
Since January 2013, 49 corrections officers have been fired, according to public records obtained by the Post-Dispatch. The city’s jail system currently has a staff of 493 people and about 25 vacant positions.
“While there were 49 terminations in the last 28 months, this is less than two per month,” said Dale Glass, the city’s commissioner of corrections. “Turnover in the field of law enforcement is a common issue.”
News recently broke about seven corrections officers who were fired in April for not following ethical standards in the treatment of an inmate who attacked a guard. Officials said the seven guards in question retaliated against the inmate by using excessive force. Officials denied a request for investigative reports in the matter because it was a personnel issue. The guards were not charged with a crime.
Meanwhile, the city provided data on the number of corrections officers who have been fired since 2013: 12 so far in 2015; 15 in 2014; and 22 in 2013. Information for 2012, the year Glass started as the new commissioner, wasn’t available.
While reasons for termination weren’t listed, absenteeism, discipline and failing to follow policies and procedures are common grounds for being fired in jails.
Glass has vowed to clean up the corrections system following an embarrassing string of events that happened before he was hired, including jaw dropping escapes and incidents gathered for a report that listed the Medium Security Institution, or City Workhouse Jail at 7600 North Hall Street, as one of the worst jails in the country for sexual misconduct.
“The term ‘clean up the jail’ means train staff how to do the job, train them how to recognize and combat inmate manipulation, and hold them accountable when they do not meet professional standards set by the city and Division of Corrections,” Glass said.
Glass, a former corrections officer who rose through the ranks to be a deputy warden with the Missouri Department of Corrections, said guards experience some level of post-traumatic stress disorder during their careers.
“My 30-plus years in the field has seen staff stress result in resignations, attendance issues and misconduct,” Glass said, but he added: “The Division of Corrections is made up of a group of highly trained professionals committed to the city’s mission of a safe community.”