Everyone and I do mean everyone that enters one of our prisons has to go through Security Screening. There are no exceptions

I’m all about STAFF shakedowns. We’ve had everything from Deputy Wardens to Case Managers having relationships with inmates. So as long as administration gets shook down too I’m cool with it. I want them to catch the dirty CO’s.

That’s crazy. Hope he gets a long time to spend with his buddies in prison.

Three days after the riot, an Officer was busted bringing in some 22 cal rounds for an Inmate who had a hit on the Warden. Imagine that. For those who don’t know, Inmates can make a workable gun. Doesn’t take much to strike the firing pin on a bullet, to make it fire.

That’s scary Commander. I recall reading on Police.one about a southern jail where the Sgt and Jail supervisor were shot to death when an new inmate came into the door. He had TWO .45 cal pistols on him, NEVER patted by the Deputy Sheriffs. Safety is number one, I could care less about protocol or SOPs. You need to protect yourself, your fellow officers first.

At Luc, you had to have a see through lunch box or brief case. The Employees activity committee and Honor Guard sold them. Anyone from law enforcement entering the prison had to lock their weapon in a lock box behind the A-Building Officer. THe Officer retained the key for the lock box. I remember day 2 of the riot back in 1993, several members of a Federal SWAT team were entering our institution and no one had told the A-Building Officer he didn’t have to pat them down. I watched as the Officer patted down two team members. The team members were carrying 45’s, boot knives, stun and Chemical munition grenades, ammo magazines, flash lights, shot guns and a bandolier of shells. When the Officer was done, I asked him what he was looking for. He looked at me with a puzzled look on his face and said, “I have no idea.”

I was watching a video about supermax prisons. One of these was a Federal super max. They insisted that all officers be searched both in and out of the facility by another officer using a pat-down method. No backpacks were allowed only plastic bags that could easily be searched. I do agree Commander that ANYONE coming into the facility must have photo ID then sign in and receive a visitor pass. If you are a visiting or booking officer my suggestion is to make SURE no fellow Deputy Sheriff, State Trooper, FBI or other police officers come in with a loaded weapon, pepper spray, live ammo or stun guns. You would about crap when you see a State Trooper walk right into the jail with a loaded .45.
Another suggestion. If you are working booking where inmates come into the facility that have just been arrested and arraigned make sure they are hand patted down before they reach the secure area of the booking room. We have found knives, matches, drugs, pins, cuff keys, paper clips, cocaine, cigarettes, lighters and everything in-between.

It wasn’t actually a pat down. Although if you had a condition that wouldn’t allow you to pass through a metal detector, an Officer would run the hand held wand over you. The biggest issue with working at a prison was, they didn’t care what you took home with you. I would think walking out the same way you came in would be a good thing. It would not have bothered me a bit. Safety and security are more important than anything. Most times the only people who complained were either dirty or just liked to complain. I used to supervise the shakedown of all staff entering our prison. Not just security. Secretaries, Medical staff, Mental Health staff, Investigators, even the Warden. Anyone entering our faciltiy whether employed or visiting, including tour groups, had to make it through the metal detector, have a valid ID or Picture ID or they were not allowed to enter. That was the rule. I remember one morning Supervising shakedown and the director came through. Top dog, head honcho, didn’t have a picture ID. Called the Major to get him cleared into the Institution. Hour later, got called to the Warden’s office to receive my butt rippin" (I thought was coming). Instead I got a “that a boy” hand shake from the Warden and the Director. Seems it was a security challenge to see if we were following the entrance post orders. Needless to say my Officers always made me proud.

I’m suprised at the level of searching some places do on staff. We have to submit to allowing our lunchbag being searched on the way in each day, and approximately once a month the security team and administrative staff do a more thurough search with metal detectors. Our staff cry about that. Love to see how they would react to being pat down every day.

As Mudflap indicated, in Ohio, all people entering a facility are required to make it through the metal detector. All lunch bags are see through. Supervisors at times complete a 2nd shakedown of all security staff inside the facility. When going through the metal detector, you have to empty your pockets and take off your belt prior to going through the metal detector.

My old prison ,was the attitude that the staff was dirty never a though to the civilian staff.We pat them down or frisk them.Write ups on us.Used to work a sallyport in my old prison dividen the kitchen from the trailers.My job was to check the food carts while the kitchen workers when thru a frisk machine in another building dividing the prison soutside and north side .Only exception was the civilian staff ,they where allow to go thru my sallyport without being check except for utensil count.

That all change months later when it was discover that one of the civilian was bringing in cellphones and drugs……

Welcome to the zoo, Jenelin. Jump in.

hello,…i am newbie her..hope that i am welcome her!
Thanks a lot’’

My facility (or at least the chief, DW, and warden) seams to think the only staff whos dirty are wearing badges. We get shook down before entering the briefing room while watching non uniform staff go straight from their cars to the gate. I’ve watched staff walk into a dorm, go to an inmates bunk, and 5 minutes later come out with all kinds of canteen items and then had the balls to ask me if I wanted some of it.
I’ve been around inmates for a little over 4 years and have very rarely seen any of them give up canteen without getting something for it unless they were paying off a debt.

Unfortunately you can never totally prevent “Dirty Officer’s” from infiltrating our midst. I worked for TDCJ as well and we had our share. Now I work for a county agency and we still have our share, though they are much less. Just shaking down staff is not the answer at all. It begins with screening, hiring and training professional corrections officers. When the Texas Workforce Commission (unemployment office) mandates a person apply at TDCJ before they can receive their welfare, you’re asking for trouble. The job should be competetive and offer incentives and pay that attract qualified persons, even then there will still be those who lack integrity or they’re scared to say no and turn to the dark side. Then there has to be such a negative stigma placed on integrity violations that it discourages that behavior, sort of like unit cohesion and coping with battle stress in the military. Peer pressure is a mother—. Lastly there needs to be much stiffer penalties for committing acts such as these. Just firing someone for bringing in drugs, sexual relations or what have you is not an adequate deterrent. Staff should be much more scared of what will happen when THEY become the inmate than what the inmate will do if the officer simply remained professional and did not succumb to con games. Personally I think they’re only a notch above a child mohlester or a terrorist if they betray their fellow officers who depend on each other for their personal safety. There has to be a line between us and the inmates, period.

Our food and coffee is not checked at all. Neither are duffle bacgs or back packs. They are searched at random. We have an issue with officers carrying cell phones and blackberrys though. Dirty staff always get caught, it’s only a matter of time.

Our officers are all searched upon entering the Correctional Centre.Contraband is still smuggled in by officials,officials’s food is not searched even though it should be and in all honesty if anybody searches my food I will lose my appetite.

How often does your food get checked? I heard of Sgt.‘s getting fired (and arrested) for bringing in weed in a cheese burger. We can’t even bring in chewing gum if it’s not unwrapped and in a clear container.

Province wise there is no scanners, pat downs or anything. Perhaps that’s why we find so much tobacco, drugs, and other contraband? Officers do get a shake-down every so often.
The Federal System uses Ion Scanners at the front doors.

Unfortunately Az, people will find a way to beat any system. Sometimes you just have to keep giving them rope and wait for them to hang themself. It sucks knowing an officer is dirty and not being able to prove it, but they always make a mistake.

Sgt. Major,

Sure, i dont mind. It only speaks of how serious we take our job to protect friends, family, and the communities we live in

sometimes the metal detectors are useless..i mean really when was the last time you know of that they have been properly calibrated? and geez…i know officers throughout the years..who went dirty…and were able to beat the detector…why..because they know how to introduce drugs, cell phones..i knew this guy about a year ago..he was acting fishy for a while, letting only the black porters out, even though we didn’t need any porters..a few of us made the observation, we pulled him over and said hey dude, its looking funky , you just pulling black inmates to porter..well weeks went by he continued to do this..me and my partner were making alot bust on the yard, heroin, weed,syringes, new ones…not prison made ones…well it turns out this guy had been introducing drugs, and cell phones..he was stopping at your local store buying frozen tv dinner..hungry man..openning it up, filling it with marijuana, resealing it, and bringing it right through..no problem..same with cell phones..he was tucking the cell phones right under his scrotum, and it beat the scanner and metal detector…he eventually got hit on by the dogs…nothing was found in his vehicle during a vehicle search..but information did surface..he was rolling around showing wades of money, and offering to lend money to some other officers…we were doing quarterly searches and bags of weed were phone, cell phones were found in the 5x 8 boards in their cell..they made a hole and placed it inside and coverdd it up with pictures..the weed was found in a coffee cup , the double insulated ones…we pulled them apart..these were the same people that he was pulling out to porter…they had him onthe ropes…he was moved to another unit…and shortly afterwards..he was escorted out by CIU, and the police was waiting on him up top, and he was arrested, for introduction of contraband into the institution, and he was fired…bottom line is our equipment isn’t the best..its old…it doesn’t work most of the time,and we’re short staff…not enough man power to do the job the way it should be done..no ot, no comp time earned..and the minute you earn it, they wanna flex you out that quick..they can do as many shake downs as they want..but wanting to really do the job..and produce the people is another…although they make more of an effort to bust staff, and inmates continue to introduce drugs through visitation, and its acceptable..i ua them, i bust em constantly, right off the back, anything to do with the introduction of drugs, getting a positive ua, a refusal to ua, is an automatic, visitation priveleges are taken, pending disciplinary reveiw, and it should be for 6 months..our administration is afraid, so they instead let them have their visits…awwww..and give them 5 days lop, and extra duty but no problem..we’re not stopping that weed train ..money gotta move, the drug business on the inside is insane..its filthy disgusting, and the people that watch over these areas sometimes amazes me..and the chief of secruity who continues to allow it, knowing its a sensitive area…whos’ making money here? somebody getting a fat pocket..i think sometimes the prisons don’t want to really report assaults, drugs, the amount of positive UAs, its all too negative and god forbid, they really tell it like it is…and then they wonder why we can’t get a raise, and get paid for the job we really do…they pretend its all good..meanwhile back on the ranch your on your own working with a few hundred inmates to 3..running normal operations..woo-hoo…they are so afraid of law suits, and inmates crying….but its okay cause now we have stoned outta their minds inmates while your conducting your secruity checks and have to walk through that house…..you never know who’s gonna loose it on you…our drug dogs sometimes miss the big picture..i have gone in a cell, after a dog picked up a scent..but couldn’t find the junk…me and my partner found the dope under the sink it was concealed with a fake bottom colored in black marker..another time the diogs went in the cell didn’t find the dope..my buddy went in, and right under the lower bunk, there laid a huge bindle of dope..the dog walked right passed it…training? certified?..equipment stinks…or it doesn’t work…its sad

Mind if I borrow that saying tioys?

The Deputy Warden where I work said it best, “I DONT CARE IF GOD WALKS IN HERE TO SEE JESUS, HE GETS PATTED JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE”

Mick, I think we at TDCJ should do that at our unit, but our higher-ups are so scared to spend 10 bucks that the cost cutting is gonna kill someone someday!