Elected through Terror

Untitled Part 21

On the surface it appeared that the jail was okay, but I saw issues, like the stove, that were not being addressed and were not okay and even dangerous - as I inquired about things I found that the Corrections Manager stone walled me however he could.

If I didn't ask something, he didn't tell me. He was withholding critical information from me – I couldn't prove it at first, and I wasn't familiar enough with a jail to know the questions to ask.

During that first year, to help me figure out what I needed to do in both the operation of the facility and keeping from being sued, I visited several jails, both older and newer and those sued and not sued.

I talked with the Sheriff's and their Corrections Managers trying to gain insight into what we could do to improve our jail operations.

That Spring I also took a two week CO class offer by the Board, early that spring, for certified police officers that were going to be transferred into the jails within the state. Many Sheriffs were having to cut back on road personnel and in the process of seniority, would put them in the jails, replacing CO with less time on the department – but they had to be certified within a year.

I resented doing it; it was done because I couldn't depend on my manager. I was needed at the Office – I didn't like having to manage from two and a half hours away taking two or three daily reports from two managers I couldn't trust to uphold my policies, understand what was important or not, what I needed to hear and filtering it through their mind the way they had been doing for several years.

Sometime during that two week class, in the middle of the day, an incident occurred in the south part of the county. Although it was serious, I can't recall just what it was. I do recall contacting the airport close by to the academy and ascertaining if they could fly me to the nearest location – which would actually have been in Madras. Where I would have had one of my staff pick me up.

I was told they could do so and have me on my way within just a few minutes if need be. It was serious enough that everyone in the class knew about it – I 'think' it was on the news.

Whatever it was got resolved quickly and I didn't have to leave. One of the CO at the class said, "that would have been a long drive." Before I could respond, the instructor laughed and said, "Sheriffs' charter planes in those situations." He hadn't heard me, but of course he was right. Just an aside I found interesting.

Going to the class and visiting jails, talking to Sheriffs and Corrections Managers did assist me in understanding Corrections laws and how they applied to jails. I picked up several ideas that would help us upgrade the operation.

As well as being able to ask more pointed questions of my manager.

I learned a lot from the Oregon Academy classes but had a lot of problems with one of the instructors. He was the lead attorney, from the State Attorney General's Office, for the State prison system.

He would go into the laws concerning incarceration and the application. What I didn't appreciate was his comments to CO, (and I found out he did this in every class he taught) about NOT letting their Sheriff's kowtow to the attorney that was going around the state suing them; berating those that had done so.

First, he had no business undermining the Sheriff, especially since he was talking to CO who had no say in policy, etc. Most were brand new recruits.

Second, most jails housed a number of pre-trial inmates. They couldn't make bail so they sat in jail. The standards for a pre-trial inmate and a convicted inmate are different.

The rights of the two types are also different. Since the convicted inmate in a jail is a misdemeanant they are treated the same as pre-trial – there isn't enough room in any jail to keep the two separated.

In the prison system it is different, they are all convicted. A prison inmate doesn't have the rights of a pre-trial inmate (who is presumed innocent).

This instructor was teaching county CO not prison CO, but teaching as if they had the same requirements for the inmates.

We had a bit of discussion about that, yet he was still used and some Sheriffs thought highly of him. They knew I didn't and would sometimes rib me about my poor opinion of him, I told them this guy isn't teaching in our best interest AND he just didn't 'feel' right.

It wasn't too long before he left Oregon for another State to become a warden in one of their prisons. It was a while after that, though, that it was discovered he had committed felony crimes in Oregon and was disgraced. I got a few, 'guess you were right' comments from the Sheriffs.

Back to the facility. I took what I had learned and the recommendations about changes to the jail, seriously.

The jail was taking up too much of my time, but I had no choice. I had a better understanding of what was going on and could catch my manager on misleading information. He was reluctant to institute some of my changes – and sometimes said he did, but hadn't. He resented being told what to do in his 'domain.'