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U.S. NEWS Saturday 4 February 2017

Union official blames staffing shortage for guard death

RANDALL CHASE The problem is not unique Institute of Corrections rec-
Associated Press to Delaware, observers ommended standards.
SMYRNA, Del. (AP) — The say. When correctional officer
killing of a guard during an For years, many states jobs remain vacant, pris-
inmate uprising at Dela- have struggled to attract ons are short staffed for ex-
ware’s largest prison this and retain correctional of- tended periods, the report
week was entirely prevent- ficers, largely because they notes. It adds, “Covering
able, according to a cor- are woefully underpaid, security posts with officers
rectional officers’ union said David Fathi, director who are unfamiliar with the
leader who blamed state of the American Civil Liber- tasks or post location el-
officials for ignoring chron- ties Union’s National Prison evates security risk.”
ic staffing shortages that Project. “The correction of- Klopp said one of the two
put prison workers at great- ficers are really the back- guards taken hostage
er risk. bone of every prison ... if along with Floyd this week
Sgt. Steven Floyd, 47, was you don’t have enough of- was a rookie, and the oth-
found dead early Thursday ficers, really every aspect er was working overtime
after a nearly 20-hour hos- of prison operations breaks and not normally assigned
tage standoff at the James down,” he said. Geoffrey Klopp, center, president of the Correctional Officers As- to the building where the
T. Vaughn Correctional In some states, prisons are sociation of Delaware, speaks about a prison uprising Thursday, uprising occurred.
Center near Smyrna. On Fri- competing for workers with Feb. 2, 2017, in Dover, Del. Klopp says that he believes the upris- Officers frequently are
day, he was posthumously Wal-Mart and McDonald’s, ing was due to low staffing issues at the 2,500-prisoner James T. forced to work overtime
awarded a promotion to Fathi said. In Nebraska, the Vaughn Correctional Center that have existed for years. to make up for staff short-
lieutenant and the Medal state prison has trouble (AP Photo/Brian Witte) ages. Klopp said overtime
of Valor, the department’s keeping correctional of- are about 90 correctional an said Commissioner Perry pay amounted to about
highest honor. ficers because its county officer vacancies within Phelps would not comment $22 million over the past
Floyd was one of four staff jails will pay them much Delaware’s prison system on staffing until the investi- year. Correctional officers
members, including a fe- more, he said. on any given day. That’s gation into this week’s up- often don’t find out until
male counselor, taken Klopp who has worked for almost double the 55 cor- rising is finished. But the de- the end of their shifts that
hostage Wednesday after the Delaware Department rectional officer vacancies partment acknowledged they are being “frozen” to
inmates in a unit holding of Correction for 29 years, reported in fiscal 2010, but in its most recent annual re- work an additional shift.
about 120 inmates am- says he makes about less than half of the 260 va- port that “workforce avail- “They are still forcing peo-
bushed him and forced $49,000 annually. A rookie cancies in fiscal 2006, ac- ability and eminent risk are ple to work overtime to
him into a closet. cop in the central Dela- cording to a Department intimately linked,” and that make the facilities run at
Inmates released two hos- ware town of Milford starts of Correction annual re- current staffing levels re- minimum staffing. They tell
tages before a tactical at $48,000, he said. port. flect budgetary restrictions, you you can’t go home,”
team used a backhoe to Authorities have said there A department spokeswom- not adherence to National Klopp said. q
breach the building and
rescue the woman.
“If there had been a cor- Report:
rect amount of staffing for Cheating, misconduct at Pennsylvania police academy
a maximum-security build-
ing, the inmates would not
have been able to over- MARC LEVY The 47-page report sug- Meanwhile, in some cases, additional guidelines or an
power the officers, take Associated Press gested that the practice troopers or cadets from instructors’ manual that
control of the building and HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — had become common- more senior classes pro- outlined what type of infor-
murder Sergeant Floyd,” Investigators looking into place, and listed at least vided answers directly to mation could be provided
said Geoff Klopp, president a cheating scandal at the six instructors who said they students, cadets told inves- to cadets in advance, the
of the Correctional Officers Pennsylvania State Police had provided answers to tigators. Test content did report said.
Association of Delaware. Academy found that in- cadets in advance for one not change, sometimes for Inspector General Bruce
“Bottom line is, you cannot structors provided test an- reason or another. Several years. The state police field Beemer blamed “some
run daily operations of that swers to cadets, the state others said they took the guide says members should longstanding practices
building with three correc- inspector general said in a test with them into test- not “furnish” test answers, within the academy” for
tions officers safely,” he report released Friday. prep sessions. but the academy lacked the problems.q
said.