Well, I didn't quite make it two weeks, I went back to work last night.
Things were really quiet in the building last night, as I suspect they will be tonight. They usually are fairly well behaved leading up to a holiday. I tried to catch up on anything going on the last week and a half while I was gone, but no one I talked to had much to tell. I guess they are all being good leading up to the holiday.
I did a bonehead thing and almost didn't work last night. I went to the doctor on Monday and got papers signed to release me to go back to work. Well, I got halfway to work last night and realized I left the papers at home. I figured, screw it, I will just bring them in the next night. Oh no, I HAD to have those papers before I could return to work. They were going to send me home. I had decided I was going to drive all the way back home and get them, which is about a 40 mile drive, when it dawned on me. I could have the wife drive to where she works and fax them to us. She has about a 10 mile drive to work, so it was a bit of a pain for her, but I figured it was easier than me having to drive 40 miles.
Well, she being smarter than I, thought about contacting my pa, and he met her where he works in town, which is only about 6 blocks from our house, and they faxed them up to me.
So, a big thank you to the wifey and pa for savin' my butt and getting those to me. I was NOT looking forward to having to drive all the way home and then back in again!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
November 14th
For those of you checking, I am on a short hiatus for a few weeks. I won't be going back to work until the week after Thanksgiving.
I had surgery last Friday, so I am taking a couple weeks off. I will be sure to get right back to it the week I return to work.
I had surgery last Friday, so I am taking a couple weeks off. I will be sure to get right back to it the week I return to work.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
October 31st - Happy Halloween
Last night we had a little training session with the fools in section one of my unit.
I went down to do the 11:00 pm count. As usual the idiots in the DSU sections all started yelling and being stupid when I went on the tier to count. Their favorite thing is to yell "Get in my belly" ala Fat Bastard from Austin Powers. I told them they were weak, that was getting old and you would think with nothing better to do all day while locked in their little cages, they could at least come up with some new and original insults to throw my way.
Had fun with them, got them all fired up and left the unit. Stupid people are funny sometimes.
Then I went to count in MY unit and some of the morons in section one started making smart ass comments. I asked them why they would be so stupid and mess with someone that actually works the unit they live in, and they just yelled some more.
sigh
Silly little morons.
So as soon as I got back up to control center, the first thing I did was kill the power to their radios. Yup, I have switches in control that can cut the power where the radios are plugged in. Then I closed the recreation door. They had asked the guy that was in while I was counting to open it to get some fresh air in the section because it was stuffy.
Now, no radios, no fresh air, someone yelled "Hey what the fuck". Then another said,"Oh, is back up there".
Yup, they aren't too bright, but they figured that one out.
So they had no radios until I turned the lights back on at 5:00 am this morning when they brought breakfast in. Will see next week when I count if they remember why it isn't a good idea to mess with the guy in control center...
I went down to do the 11:00 pm count. As usual the idiots in the DSU sections all started yelling and being stupid when I went on the tier to count. Their favorite thing is to yell "Get in my belly" ala Fat Bastard from Austin Powers. I told them they were weak, that was getting old and you would think with nothing better to do all day while locked in their little cages, they could at least come up with some new and original insults to throw my way.
Had fun with them, got them all fired up and left the unit. Stupid people are funny sometimes.
Then I went to count in MY unit and some of the morons in section one started making smart ass comments. I asked them why they would be so stupid and mess with someone that actually works the unit they live in, and they just yelled some more.
sigh
Silly little morons.
So as soon as I got back up to control center, the first thing I did was kill the power to their radios. Yup, I have switches in control that can cut the power where the radios are plugged in. Then I closed the recreation door. They had asked the guy that was in while I was counting to open it to get some fresh air in the section because it was stuffy.
Now, no radios, no fresh air, someone yelled "Hey what the fuck". Then another said,"Oh,
Yup, they aren't too bright, but they figured that one out.
So they had no radios until I turned the lights back on at 5:00 am this morning when they brought breakfast in. Will see next week when I count if they remember why it isn't a good idea to mess with the guy in control center...
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
October 30th
This post should have been yesterdays.
Read on and you will know why it didn't get posted yesterday.
Last night all was quiet.
Too quiet, I had a hell of a time staying awake.
The night started off quiet enough.
My floor staff did some shakedowns and got the orderlies out to clean their respective sections.
Then at 20:12 a call comes over the radio.
A calm voice says, "Hey it looks like we have a cell fight in Charlie 18".
So everyone scatters and runs to C Unit (which is now actually DSU Unit One).
It turns out that it most likely wasn't actually a cell fight, but a couple idiots horseplaying in the cell.
They still got taken out, shook down, interviewed and will be given disciplinary reports for horseplaying in the cell.
Like I always say, they ain't here for being too smart or too fast!
Well, I went down that night and did count at 01:30 am. Just after I finished, I was sitting in the break room and the phone rang. Someone answered it and handed it to me. It was the boss calling to inform me that I was on the bubble and he had to mandatory me.
GREAT! It is my Monday, of my long week, and I get to stick around another four hours. I tried to run excuses through my head....I had nothing. I was screwed.
So I got assigned to do truck escort for another four hours after my shift ended.
Turns out this ain't a bad gig. As truck escort I am SUPPOSED to drive the bus next door to the minimum camp and pick up imate workers for the motorpool and warehouse.
Well, I don't drive no stinkin' bus.
So they had someone else go get them. Then I am supposed to drive the garbage truck in and pick up garbage in the institution.
Well, I don't drive no stinkin' garbage truck. (You starting to see a pattern here?)
So the outside Sgt. handed me his keys and had me watch his inmate crew while he did the garbage run. This consisted of sitting in a chair and reading a magazine. Then when he came out I had to walk in with the food truck. Walked it back to the back gate of the kitchen and watched while the inmates unloaded it. Then walk the truck back out. We walk the truck in since it goes down the main avenue where inmates are around. I am basically just another set of eyes to make sure no inmates try to get near the truck to try to escape.
Sat on my arse another hour bullshitting with the motorpool Sgt., then turned in my radio and went home. Hell, if I gotta do manditory overtime, I want this gig EVERY time. The only drawback is the lack of sleep before going back in. THAT is why I didn't get around to posting yesterday. Basically got home and got 3 1/2 hours sleep, then had to go back in for another 12 hour shift last night.
Speaking of which, it is time for another one....
Read on and you will know why it didn't get posted yesterday.
Last night all was quiet.
Too quiet, I had a hell of a time staying awake.
The night started off quiet enough.
My floor staff did some shakedowns and got the orderlies out to clean their respective sections.
Then at 20:12 a call comes over the radio.
A calm voice says, "Hey it looks like we have a cell fight in Charlie 18".
So everyone scatters and runs to C Unit (which is now actually DSU Unit One).
It turns out that it most likely wasn't actually a cell fight, but a couple idiots horseplaying in the cell.
They still got taken out, shook down, interviewed and will be given disciplinary reports for horseplaying in the cell.
Like I always say, they ain't here for being too smart or too fast!
Well, I went down that night and did count at 01:30 am. Just after I finished, I was sitting in the break room and the phone rang. Someone answered it and handed it to me. It was the boss calling to inform me that I was on the bubble and he had to mandatory me.
GREAT! It is my Monday, of my long week, and I get to stick around another four hours. I tried to run excuses through my head....I had nothing. I was screwed.
So I got assigned to do truck escort for another four hours after my shift ended.
Turns out this ain't a bad gig. As truck escort I am SUPPOSED to drive the bus next door to the minimum camp and pick up imate workers for the motorpool and warehouse.
Well, I don't drive no stinkin' bus.
So they had someone else go get them. Then I am supposed to drive the garbage truck in and pick up garbage in the institution.
Well, I don't drive no stinkin' garbage truck. (You starting to see a pattern here?)
So the outside Sgt. handed me his keys and had me watch his inmate crew while he did the garbage run. This consisted of sitting in a chair and reading a magazine. Then when he came out I had to walk in with the food truck. Walked it back to the back gate of the kitchen and watched while the inmates unloaded it. Then walk the truck back out. We walk the truck in since it goes down the main avenue where inmates are around. I am basically just another set of eyes to make sure no inmates try to get near the truck to try to escape.
Sat on my arse another hour bullshitting with the motorpool Sgt., then turned in my radio and went home. Hell, if I gotta do manditory overtime, I want this gig EVERY time. The only drawback is the lack of sleep before going back in. THAT is why I didn't get around to posting yesterday. Basically got home and got 3 1/2 hours sleep, then had to go back in for another 12 hour shift last night.
Speaking of which, it is time for another one....
Friday, October 26, 2007
October 26th
Well, I slacked off again this week. Thought I better get at least one post in for this last week, so here goes.
My work week was actually pretty quiet. Even the morons in DSU side seemed to take a brake and were pretty quiet for the most part.
On Sunday though, there was an assault on a sergeant in population. An inmate came out for med line, and for some reason attacked the sarge with a razor. He cut him on the arm, back and ear before staff dog-piled him and got him restrained. Luckily, none of the cuts were too serious. He did have to have a few stitches though.
The following is an excerpt from the local newspaper that actually did a RARE article commending us. Notice they still insist on calling us "guards" instead of Correction Officers though. Then they got it right in the article itself. Go figure.
As always, I prefer not to list names in my blog, so those have been removed or changed.
Guards look out for prison security, their own.
Attack on guard on Sunday highlights risk of the job.
October 23, 2007
Among the Mid-Valley's residents are thousands of state prison inmates, including 2,182 at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. The task of guarding the inmates and keeping the penitentiary under control rests with the 361-person security staff. It can be a dangerous job. Sgt. (name withheld) was attacked Sunday night by an inmate wielding a razor blade. Fortunately, (name withheld)'s wounds to his arm, ear and back were not life-threatening. He was treated at Salem Hospital and today was reported to be doing well.
Oregon State Police are investigating. The suspect, inmate dumbass, has been placed in the penitentiary's disciplinary segregation unit. Dumbass had been released from his cell to receive routine medication when the attack occurred about 7:45 p.m., officials said.
Security and correctional officers have a difficult, under-appreciated job. They constantly must be vigilant to their and the inmates' security, and to issues that may affect inmates' behavior. For example, the officers generally are the initial line of contact when an inmate is distressed after receiving bad news from home or suffers a health problem. And the threat of violence always is present. The penitentiary averages about one physical assault on a staff member each month.
It must take a special person -- with skill, determination and self-discipline -- to be a correctional officer. Be thankful for their work.
Kind of nice to see a positive article about us for once in the paper. Usually this particular paper is the first to point a finger at us and print anything negative they can.
My work week was actually pretty quiet. Even the morons in DSU side seemed to take a brake and were pretty quiet for the most part.
On Sunday though, there was an assault on a sergeant in population. An inmate came out for med line, and for some reason attacked the sarge with a razor. He cut him on the arm, back and ear before staff dog-piled him and got him restrained. Luckily, none of the cuts were too serious. He did have to have a few stitches though.
The following is an excerpt from the local newspaper that actually did a RARE article commending us. Notice they still insist on calling us "guards" instead of Correction Officers though. Then they got it right in the article itself. Go figure.
As always, I prefer not to list names in my blog, so those have been removed or changed.
Guards look out for prison security, their own.
Attack on guard on Sunday highlights risk of the job.
October 23, 2007
Among the Mid-Valley's residents are thousands of state prison inmates, including 2,182 at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. The task of guarding the inmates and keeping the penitentiary under control rests with the 361-person security staff. It can be a dangerous job. Sgt. (name withheld) was attacked Sunday night by an inmate wielding a razor blade. Fortunately, (name withheld)'s wounds to his arm, ear and back were not life-threatening. He was treated at Salem Hospital and today was reported to be doing well.
Oregon State Police are investigating. The suspect, inmate dumbass, has been placed in the penitentiary's disciplinary segregation unit. Dumbass had been released from his cell to receive routine medication when the attack occurred about 7:45 p.m., officials said.
Security and correctional officers have a difficult, under-appreciated job. They constantly must be vigilant to their and the inmates' security, and to issues that may affect inmates' behavior. For example, the officers generally are the initial line of contact when an inmate is distressed after receiving bad news from home or suffers a health problem. And the threat of violence always is present. The penitentiary averages about one physical assault on a staff member each month.
It must take a special person -- with skill, determination and self-discipline -- to be a correctional officer. Be thankful for their work.
Kind of nice to see a positive article about us for once in the paper. Usually this particular paper is the first to point a finger at us and print anything negative they can.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
October 18th
Pretty quiet night again last night.
The Lt. did call me at about 01:00am to tell me I needed to do a piss test on a guy just before breakfast. Turns out I was the only person in the building that had done the training and was listed as being qualified. The funny thing is, I did that training probably 3 or 4 years ago, and have never had to do it. Well, he never did call me down, I think he decided it could wait until dayshift got there to do it.
We do a certain number of random piss tests each month to check for drug use in the institution. That is one of the ways they keep track of whether drugs are getting introduced into the institution.
The Lt. did call me at about 01:00am to tell me I needed to do a piss test on a guy just before breakfast. Turns out I was the only person in the building that had done the training and was listed as being qualified. The funny thing is, I did that training probably 3 or 4 years ago, and have never had to do it. Well, he never did call me down, I think he decided it could wait until dayshift got there to do it.
We do a certain number of random piss tests each month to check for drug use in the institution. That is one of the ways they keep track of whether drugs are getting introduced into the institution.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
October 17th
Well, I should have posted yesterday too,l but things have been pretty quiet for the most part the last two nights.
I was talking to the guy in ten tower on the phone last night, when he said he needed to go because something was happening. About five minutes later, the lieutenant called on the radio to let us know we had two incoming from a fight on the yard. Well, that was what was happening. I never did hear any details about what it was over or who it was, but we got two new morons for the DSU units. Our DSU unit is now completely full, so they had to kick two guys out early to make room for the two new ones.
I guess last Saturday evening they were pretty busy in DSU unit 1. The guy that works my unit on the floor said he worked an overtime shift in there and they flooded out several times and had to do three cell extractions.
I was talking to the guy in ten tower on the phone last night, when he said he needed to go because something was happening. About five minutes later, the lieutenant called on the radio to let us know we had two incoming from a fight on the yard. Well, that was what was happening. I never did hear any details about what it was over or who it was, but we got two new morons for the DSU units. Our DSU unit is now completely full, so they had to kick two guys out early to make room for the two new ones.
I guess last Saturday evening they were pretty busy in DSU unit 1. The guy that works my unit on the floor said he worked an overtime shift in there and they flooded out several times and had to do three cell extractions.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
October 9th again
I just looked at my site tracker and thought this was kind of interesting.
I originally started this thing for friends and family because people are always interested when I tell them I work at a prison.
They always want to hear stories and wonder if working there is anything like the movies and TV.
Well, sometimes it is, but you know how Hollywood is....
Anyway, the interesting thing is how far spread the visitors are to my silly little blog here.
So, mostly for my own amusement, here is a list from the tracker of where the last hundred people that have visited this thing are from....
Houston, Texas
Durham, North Carolina
Detroit, Michigan
Springfield, Oregon
Linn Creek, Missouri
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Eugene, Oregon
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Monroe, Louisiana
Chicago, Illinois
Lebanon, Oregon
Bonnie, Illinois
Corvallis, Oregon
Turner, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Brainerd, Minnesota
Tampa, Florida
Wellpinit, Washington
Ashland City, Tennessee
Byron Center, Michigan
Seattle, Washington
Bronxville, New York
Yeah, I know that isn't 100, but it has multiples of some cities and there are about 20 that it lists as Unknown.
I also remember checking it once a long time ago and there was even a hit from someone in Germany.
So to all you folks that find your way here, Welcome, and I hope that you find this at least interesting enough you don't stare at the screen afterwards thinking "There's ten minutes of my life I'll never get back".
Lastly, if anyone out there has a question or comment, please hit the comment link and feel free to ask. I check this thing often enough (even if I don't update enough) and will be happy to respond.
Thanks for stopping by.
I originally started this thing for friends and family because people are always interested when I tell them I work at a prison.
They always want to hear stories and wonder if working there is anything like the movies and TV.
Well, sometimes it is, but you know how Hollywood is....
Anyway, the interesting thing is how far spread the visitors are to my silly little blog here.
So, mostly for my own amusement, here is a list from the tracker of where the last hundred people that have visited this thing are from....
Houston, Texas
Durham, North Carolina
Detroit, Michigan
Springfield, Oregon
Linn Creek, Missouri
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Eugene, Oregon
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Monroe, Louisiana
Chicago, Illinois
Lebanon, Oregon
Bonnie, Illinois
Corvallis, Oregon
Turner, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Brainerd, Minnesota
Tampa, Florida
Wellpinit, Washington
Ashland City, Tennessee
Byron Center, Michigan
Seattle, Washington
Bronxville, New York
Yeah, I know that isn't 100, but it has multiples of some cities and there are about 20 that it lists as Unknown.
I also remember checking it once a long time ago and there was even a hit from someone in Germany.
So to all you folks that find your way here, Welcome, and I hope that you find this at least interesting enough you don't stare at the screen afterwards thinking "There's ten minutes of my life I'll never get back".
Lastly, if anyone out there has a question or comment, please hit the comment link and feel free to ask. I check this thing often enough (even if I don't update enough) and will be happy to respond.
Thanks for stopping by.
October 9th
Last night, more of the same stupidness.
Inmates in Unit 1 of DSU started acting up.
I am not sure what the original problem was, but the Lieutenant called for an extraction team to get ready.
When they went in to extract a guy, the dumbass in the next cell shit-bombed the Lieutenant and an Officer. So the Lieutenant sprayed him with pepper spray. They let him sit and enjoy the spray for a while as they brought in a new guy that transport brought us. Then they went back in and got him out. He backed up when they went to get him, but as soon as they brought him out, he tried to kick staff. He got promptly "placed on the ground" for his trouble. That little episode should cost him another 3 to 5 years or so. Oh, this is the same moron I posted about on July 6th.
In the mean time, apparently another one started kicking his door, and kicked it enough to red light the board. On our control panels for the doors, there are two lights for each door, a red and green light. The green light indicates the door is secure, a red light indicates it is open, at least to some degree. So they had to go in and take him out.
All in all a pretty busy night for the first 4 hours or so. Things finally quieted down after that.
In other news, my youngest son turns 18 today. Happy Birthday son!!
Inmates in Unit 1 of DSU started acting up.
I am not sure what the original problem was, but the Lieutenant called for an extraction team to get ready.
When they went in to extract a guy, the dumbass in the next cell shit-bombed the Lieutenant and an Officer. So the Lieutenant sprayed him with pepper spray. They let him sit and enjoy the spray for a while as they brought in a new guy that transport brought us. Then they went back in and got him out. He backed up when they went to get him, but as soon as they brought him out, he tried to kick staff. He got promptly "placed on the ground" for his trouble. That little episode should cost him another 3 to 5 years or so. Oh, this is the same moron I posted about on July 6th.
In the mean time, apparently another one started kicking his door, and kicked it enough to red light the board. On our control panels for the doors, there are two lights for each door, a red and green light. The green light indicates the door is secure, a red light indicates it is open, at least to some degree. So they had to go in and take him out.
All in all a pretty busy night for the first 4 hours or so. Things finally quieted down after that.
In other news, my youngest son turns 18 today. Happy Birthday son!!
Monday, October 8, 2007
October 8th
Yes, Yes, I know I haven't posted in two months.
I am going to get back in the habit of updating, honest.
I don't think I posted since I had the back surgery.
Most of you that actually read this already know that it was a success and my back is doing better than it has for years.
Although I have not got back in the habit of updating, I was only off work for about eleven days after the surgery.
The building I work in has finished the swap to become both our Intensive Management Unit (IMU) and our Disciplinary Segregation Unit (DSU).
The building itself is now called Special Management Housing (SMH).
It consists of the IMU (A and B unit), and the DSU (Unit 1 and 2).
The old DSU building is now known as the Administrative Special Housing (ASH).
OOOHHHHH YEAH boys and girls, you can imagine the fun a bunch of twisted, sarcastic, cynical Correction Officers are having with that.
Imagine if you will, the radio traffic as 10 tower announces to staff in the Administrative Special Housing that they have someone entering the building.
"Ten Tower to ASH, you got one coming in the ASH"
Yes it is childish, schoolyard humor, but come on. What were they thinking when they named this thing.
Oh that's right, it was named by management. There wasn't any thinking involved.
Anyway, so the ASH consists of Death Row Unit (DRU) and the Administrative Segregation Unit (ASU).
ASU is what most people would think of as protective custody.
So back to my little home away from home. I am assigned the control center of IMU B unit.
This is where the higher level guys are housed, and consequently, it is for the most part pretty quiet most of the time.
This works for me. I have done my time dealing with the boneheads. At least the boneheads up here are a little more well behaved.
Not so much for the rest of the building. Tonight we started moving inmates around in the unit. We were supposed to get two more brought up from A unit. One decided he didn't want to move. Normally this wouldn't be SUCH a big deal, but two things weren't going his way. Number one he failed the attitude check when he was told he was moving. Number two, he didn't have any reason to be such a mouthy ass about moving, which threw up red flags to the Lieutenant. Why would he NOT want to move to the better, more quiet unit? Well, he then refused to even be cuffed up to come out to talk. So an extraction team was formed and they went in to get him. He got a face full of pepper spray and staff dog piled him, cuffed him and he ended up coming out the hard way. Now he will lose his level and his property will be searched thoroughly to determine if he had something to hide.
Just as they were finishing dealing with this mess, a guy in one of the DSU units started having chest pains. So an ambulance was called and the guy was transported out to the hospital. This was all within the first two hours of my shift. Can't wait to see what the rest of the night has in store for us.
And so it continues. At about 10:30pm, the officer working control in DSU Unit 2 calls on the radio to have the water turned off in one of the sections. An inmate was flooding out. When they went in to talk to him the inmate was in the process of tying his sheets around his neck. This was an inmate we just got in tonight. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that on top of everything else going on earlier tonight, we had 4 inmates brought in for DSU all within about 30 minutes of each other. The details I got are still a bit blurry, and I am not sure if anyone knows for sure at this point what happened but it sounds like maybe the guys cellmate beat on him. They brought him down to my unit and put him in the holding cell. So now i have a bunch of staff, the Lieutenant, a couple nurses all milling around. Well, they finally all left and the rest of the night was quiet.
I am going to get back in the habit of updating, honest.
I don't think I posted since I had the back surgery.
Most of you that actually read this already know that it was a success and my back is doing better than it has for years.
Although I have not got back in the habit of updating, I was only off work for about eleven days after the surgery.
The building I work in has finished the swap to become both our Intensive Management Unit (IMU) and our Disciplinary Segregation Unit (DSU).
The building itself is now called Special Management Housing (SMH).
It consists of the IMU (A and B unit), and the DSU (Unit 1 and 2).
The old DSU building is now known as the Administrative Special Housing (ASH).
OOOHHHHH YEAH boys and girls, you can imagine the fun a bunch of twisted, sarcastic, cynical Correction Officers are having with that.
Imagine if you will, the radio traffic as 10 tower announces to staff in the Administrative Special Housing that they have someone entering the building.
"Ten Tower to ASH, you got one coming in the ASH"
Yes it is childish, schoolyard humor, but come on. What were they thinking when they named this thing.
Oh that's right, it was named by management. There wasn't any thinking involved.
Anyway, so the ASH consists of Death Row Unit (DRU) and the Administrative Segregation Unit (ASU).
ASU is what most people would think of as protective custody.
So back to my little home away from home. I am assigned the control center of IMU B unit.
This is where the higher level guys are housed, and consequently, it is for the most part pretty quiet most of the time.
This works for me. I have done my time dealing with the boneheads. At least the boneheads up here are a little more well behaved.
Not so much for the rest of the building. Tonight we started moving inmates around in the unit. We were supposed to get two more brought up from A unit. One decided he didn't want to move. Normally this wouldn't be SUCH a big deal, but two things weren't going his way. Number one he failed the attitude check when he was told he was moving. Number two, he didn't have any reason to be such a mouthy ass about moving, which threw up red flags to the Lieutenant. Why would he NOT want to move to the better, more quiet unit? Well, he then refused to even be cuffed up to come out to talk. So an extraction team was formed and they went in to get him. He got a face full of pepper spray and staff dog piled him, cuffed him and he ended up coming out the hard way. Now he will lose his level and his property will be searched thoroughly to determine if he had something to hide.
Just as they were finishing dealing with this mess, a guy in one of the DSU units started having chest pains. So an ambulance was called and the guy was transported out to the hospital. This was all within the first two hours of my shift. Can't wait to see what the rest of the night has in store for us.
And so it continues. At about 10:30pm, the officer working control in DSU Unit 2 calls on the radio to have the water turned off in one of the sections. An inmate was flooding out. When they went in to talk to him the inmate was in the process of tying his sheets around his neck. This was an inmate we just got in tonight. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that on top of everything else going on earlier tonight, we had 4 inmates brought in for DSU all within about 30 minutes of each other. The details I got are still a bit blurry, and I am not sure if anyone knows for sure at this point what happened but it sounds like maybe the guys cellmate beat on him. They brought him down to my unit and put him in the holding cell. So now i have a bunch of staff, the Lieutenant, a couple nurses all milling around. Well, they finally all left and the rest of the night was quiet.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
July 14th
Well, had the surgery yesterday.
Other than getting in late, everything went well.
I was scheduled for 10:00am, they didn't get me in until 02:30pm. The one before me apparently got more involved than expected and took a lot longer than they thought.
Once I got done, I was able to get up and move around within about an hour, so they let me go home. I haven't had much pain at all. Yesterday of course I was still pretty groggy and doped up, and I took a pain pill just before we left the hospital.
Today, I feel a bit of pressure as I am up and about, but still not in any real pain. I have been taking Vicadin about every 5 or 6 hours though.
Got out and went for a walk up and down the block this morning, still feeling fine. I'm not moving real fast, and using my cane for stability, but feeling pretty good otherwise.
Just going to take it easy this week, and hope I am feeling well and healed up enough to go back to work next week.
Other than getting in late, everything went well.
I was scheduled for 10:00am, they didn't get me in until 02:30pm. The one before me apparently got more involved than expected and took a lot longer than they thought.
Once I got done, I was able to get up and move around within about an hour, so they let me go home. I haven't had much pain at all. Yesterday of course I was still pretty groggy and doped up, and I took a pain pill just before we left the hospital.
Today, I feel a bit of pressure as I am up and about, but still not in any real pain. I have been taking Vicadin about every 5 or 6 hours though.
Got out and went for a walk up and down the block this morning, still feeling fine. I'm not moving real fast, and using my cane for stability, but feeling pretty good otherwise.
Just going to take it easy this week, and hope I am feeling well and healed up enough to go back to work next week.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
July 11th
Well, I didn't post much last week, figured I would get one in today. I bid for my new shift Tuesday morning. I will be working in IMU still, on the IMU side away from the bastards in DSU. I will work 06:00 pm to 06:00 am on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Then every third week I go in a day early and work Sunday night as well. I think this is going to be a nice post. I will be starting this post on the first full week of August.
I will be going in on Friday morning to have surgery to fix a buggered up disc in my back. If all goes well, I will be back home that evening. I will be off work next week, and if I am feeling up to it, will go back the following week. I will try to post when I am able to sit long enough to do it, and keep you posted on how the surgery went.
It is time to get ready for work. I am hoping they have the air conditioning working in the control center tonight. It is 90 degrees, cloudy and muggy as hell outside. It is going to be a miserable night if the AC isn't working.
I will be going in on Friday morning to have surgery to fix a buggered up disc in my back. If all goes well, I will be back home that evening. I will be off work next week, and if I am feeling up to it, will go back the following week. I will try to post when I am able to sit long enough to do it, and keep you posted on how the surgery went.
It is time to get ready for work. I am hoping they have the air conditioning working in the control center tonight. It is 90 degrees, cloudy and muggy as hell outside. It is going to be a miserable night if the AC isn't working.
Friday, July 6, 2007
July 6th
Work has been pretty quiet the last couple nights.
Well, not all that quiet, but no problems. They were noisy as hell last night, but just being stupid and making noise for the sake of making noise.
Speaking of stupid, I thought I would share with you the details of the type of special stupid I am around all the time.
We will call him, inmate moron.
Inmate Moron came into the system with a 6 year beef for Robbery II and was 23 years old.
He would have been released in Feb. of this year.
Since he has been in, our little moron has racked up the following charges.
4 counts of inmate with a weapon for another 9.6 years.
4 counts of assault III for another 7.3 years.
2 counts of assaulting an Officer for another 5 years.
Yup, our little Einstein now has an earliest release date of Feb. of 2028.
He would have been out this year at age 28, now assuming he gets no further charges he will be out when he is 49.
On top of that, he has warrants in California, Washington and a local county here.
Some people just shouldn't be allowed to breathe.
Well, not all that quiet, but no problems. They were noisy as hell last night, but just being stupid and making noise for the sake of making noise.
Speaking of stupid, I thought I would share with you the details of the type of special stupid I am around all the time.
We will call him, inmate moron.
Inmate Moron came into the system with a 6 year beef for Robbery II and was 23 years old.
He would have been released in Feb. of this year.
Since he has been in, our little moron has racked up the following charges.
4 counts of inmate with a weapon for another 9.6 years.
4 counts of assault III for another 7.3 years.
2 counts of assaulting an Officer for another 5 years.
Yup, our little Einstein now has an earliest release date of Feb. of 2028.
He would have been out this year at age 28, now assuming he gets no further charges he will be out when he is 49.
On top of that, he has warrants in California, Washington and a local county here.
Some people just shouldn't be allowed to breathe.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
July 4th
Well, Gravebinder informed me I should post about things going on even on my days off.
So here ya go. I think had mentioned the problems I was having keeping my DSL running decent.
I had one weekend where it went dead and I had no internet for the whole weekend. On that Monday they came out and cleaned up some phone lines and I thought all was well. The next weekend, I get on to play a little EQII, and keep getting kicked out again. I checked my speeds and was getting like 25 to 40kps. It was total crap. I called the 24 hour tech support and they said they were doing some sort of maintenance on the lines that weekend. OK, so that was the problem, no biggie.
Well, the next weekend (this last weekend) I got on to play and the same thing started happening. Crap download speeds, kept getting kicked out of game etc. So now I'm REALLY pissed. I even called the guy at the phone company (his work phone - voicemail) at 01:00 am Sunday morning to tell him he better get someone out here Monday and fix it or I was going back to Comcast.
Well, Monday someone came out and climbed the pole and cleaned up some more lines. Running a little better, but still not as good as it should. He had one of the guys stop by and give me some CAT5 cable which I ran right from the box on the outside of the house, to the jack my computer is plugged into. They even gave me a new jack to run it in to. Monday night I got on to game and yup, got kicked out some more. Now I am starting to think some asshat at the phone company is watching and as soon as I log in to play the game, they shut me down. I swear it was always going down when I got on to play.
I call him up again this morning. So, they show back up today, and we are having a hell of a time trying to figure out why my speeds are dropping. He traces the line I put in all the way into the house. Everything looks good, but it is still all over the place and not as fast as it should be. We were starting to think it was the modem. The guy pulls the faceplate off the jack in the house by the computer. Everything appears to be done right, but he pulls the wires off and re-sets them.
BOOM!! I now have internet and it is stable as can be. We still can't figure out what it was, but I must not have had a good connection on one of the wires.
I now have DSL with a smokin fast (are you ready for this?) 10 MBS DOWNLOAD!! Yeah, that's right. 10 FREAKIN MBS!! My son has his computer in his room, running wireless and HE is getting 6.8 MBS! Three weeks of fighting this stupid thing, and it is all worth it now.
Centurytel 10 MBS DSL2 - FTW!!
So here ya go. I think had mentioned the problems I was having keeping my DSL running decent.
I had one weekend where it went dead and I had no internet for the whole weekend. On that Monday they came out and cleaned up some phone lines and I thought all was well. The next weekend, I get on to play a little EQII, and keep getting kicked out again. I checked my speeds and was getting like 25 to 40kps. It was total crap. I called the 24 hour tech support and they said they were doing some sort of maintenance on the lines that weekend. OK, so that was the problem, no biggie.
Well, the next weekend (this last weekend) I got on to play and the same thing started happening. Crap download speeds, kept getting kicked out of game etc. So now I'm REALLY pissed. I even called the guy at the phone company (his work phone - voicemail) at 01:00 am Sunday morning to tell him he better get someone out here Monday and fix it or I was going back to Comcast.
Well, Monday someone came out and climbed the pole and cleaned up some more lines. Running a little better, but still not as good as it should. He had one of the guys stop by and give me some CAT5 cable which I ran right from the box on the outside of the house, to the jack my computer is plugged into. They even gave me a new jack to run it in to. Monday night I got on to game and yup, got kicked out some more. Now I am starting to think some asshat at the phone company is watching and as soon as I log in to play the game, they shut me down. I swear it was always going down when I got on to play.
I call him up again this morning. So, they show back up today, and we are having a hell of a time trying to figure out why my speeds are dropping. He traces the line I put in all the way into the house. Everything looks good, but it is still all over the place and not as fast as it should be. We were starting to think it was the modem. The guy pulls the faceplate off the jack in the house by the computer. Everything appears to be done right, but he pulls the wires off and re-sets them.
BOOM!! I now have internet and it is stable as can be. We still can't figure out what it was, but I must not have had a good connection on one of the wires.
I now have DSL with a smokin fast (are you ready for this?) 10 MBS DOWNLOAD!! Yeah, that's right. 10 FREAKIN MBS!! My son has his computer in his room, running wireless and HE is getting 6.8 MBS! Three weeks of fighting this stupid thing, and it is all worth it now.
Centurytel 10 MBS DSL2 - FTW!!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
June 28th
Well, they took all of death row out of C unit over the last two days and put them in the new SHU (Special Housing Unit).
Now C unit is DSU as well, so we have all of DSU inmates in the IMU building. This actually helped alleviate some of the problems we have been having in D unit. We now have somewhere else to put inmates, and more places to move the trouble makers around to. They moved some of the ones from this unit that have been causing all the problems the last couple of weeks, and put them down in C unit. Things were much more quiet up here tonight.
That didn't stop me from writing misconduct reports though. I got two of the guys in the IMU section we have left up here for using paper to cover their light fixtures/and or door fronts. They are slow learners.
After lights out it actually got pretty quiet. I think we got most of the trouble makers moved around and things will settle down a bit.....for now.
Now C unit is DSU as well, so we have all of DSU inmates in the IMU building. This actually helped alleviate some of the problems we have been having in D unit. We now have somewhere else to put inmates, and more places to move the trouble makers around to. They moved some of the ones from this unit that have been causing all the problems the last couple of weeks, and put them down in C unit. Things were much more quiet up here tonight.
That didn't stop me from writing misconduct reports though. I got two of the guys in the IMU section we have left up here for using paper to cover their light fixtures/and or door fronts. They are slow learners.
After lights out it actually got pretty quiet. I think we got most of the trouble makers moved around and things will settle down a bit.....for now.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
June 26th (Take Two)
Figured I would post a catch up post since my internet was down this weekend.
I worked an overtime shift Sunday night in C unit.
This is the death row unit.
My night was pretty quiet, since the death row guys usually don't cause any problems.
HOWEVER, I could hear the dumbasses in D unit ,which is right above C unit, banging and yelling and raising hell. I got a call from the guy working D control about 09:00pm, telling me they were flooding out and to turn the water off in section three. The water shut off is in C unit that controls water for each section of C and D unit. So I ran to the box, flipped the two toggle switches that would kill the water in section three. A few minutes later, I get a call from D unit again. He asks me if I got the water off. I told him I did, and he tells me it is still running. So I go back to the box, this time I take a flashlight so I can see, and it turns out I had killed the water for section ONE instead of three. OOPS!! So I switch one back on and kill the water for three. It turns out that, unlike the other units, the water shut off goes from top to bottom as section three, two, one. Now wouldn't you think it would go from one to three? So that gave the idiots an extra few minutes of flush time, so they had a good two inches of standing water covering the entire floor of section three.
So, flooding is when they plug their toilets with clothes, sheets, whatever they can find and continually flush to overflow it. So they now have toilet water all over the tier and into every cell on the bottom tier.
Now here is the beautiful part. The Lieutenant actually decides to make them suffer a bit. He called the Captain at home, told him what had happened, and that he had no intention of getting it cleaned up. The Captain actually grew a pair and backed him up and decided the hell with them. Let them live in the mess they made, and give them sack lunches for breakfast, and if they want to be stupid he won't let that whole section have recs all week if need be. So we left the water off all night, turning it on for five minutes once an hour so they could flush if necessary, and let them live with the mess all night.
It is going to be interesting over the next couple weeks as we take back control of this section.
I worked an overtime shift Sunday night in C unit.
This is the death row unit.
My night was pretty quiet, since the death row guys usually don't cause any problems.
HOWEVER, I could hear the dumbasses in D unit ,which is right above C unit, banging and yelling and raising hell. I got a call from the guy working D control about 09:00pm, telling me they were flooding out and to turn the water off in section three. The water shut off is in C unit that controls water for each section of C and D unit. So I ran to the box, flipped the two toggle switches that would kill the water in section three. A few minutes later, I get a call from D unit again. He asks me if I got the water off. I told him I did, and he tells me it is still running. So I go back to the box, this time I take a flashlight so I can see, and it turns out I had killed the water for section ONE instead of three. OOPS!! So I switch one back on and kill the water for three. It turns out that, unlike the other units, the water shut off goes from top to bottom as section three, two, one. Now wouldn't you think it would go from one to three? So that gave the idiots an extra few minutes of flush time, so they had a good two inches of standing water covering the entire floor of section three.
So, flooding is when they plug their toilets with clothes, sheets, whatever they can find and continually flush to overflow it. So they now have toilet water all over the tier and into every cell on the bottom tier.
Now here is the beautiful part. The Lieutenant actually decides to make them suffer a bit. He called the Captain at home, told him what had happened, and that he had no intention of getting it cleaned up. The Captain actually grew a pair and backed him up and decided the hell with them. Let them live in the mess they made, and give them sack lunches for breakfast, and if they want to be stupid he won't let that whole section have recs all week if need be. So we left the water off all night, turning it on for five minutes once an hour so they could flush if necessary, and let them live with the mess all night.
It is going to be interesting over the next couple weeks as we take back control of this section.
June 26th
This is the update I had planned for last Saturday morning.
Unfortunately, my internet went down Friday night and was down all weekend.
Seems the phone wires at this place were a mess, and it's a wonder I ever got connected at all.
Well, they got fixed yesterday, and I found out that being back in town and this close to the main terminals, I can get DSL up to 10 MBS!!
SWEET!!! So I had them crank it up. Right now I am only at about half that, but they will be sending someone out again to re-do some lines so I get the full 10 MBS.
Eat yer heart out cable guys!!
Another wonderful night tonight.
The orderly in section three decided to argue with me about the time he had to clean the section.
Orderlies get 45 minutes to clean and then are supposed to shower and cell in.
After arguing about the amount of time he got, he finally went to the shower. When he finished in the shower, he stopped to pass notes or something under the door that leads to the next section, section two. This is a big no no. At this point I had the floor officer inform the orderly he was fired. The orderly decided to bang on his bunk, making a bunch of noise, and started yelling "Fuck you!". So I wrote him up.
Then I had an inmate next to him start yelling disrespectful comments at me, so I wrote him up. Then the whole tier decided to throw garbage and feces out on the tier. They will be getting sack meals for breakfast in the morning.
I then had an inmate from section one cover his light with paper. This is one of our "special" inmates and had been warned many times previously for doing this. So I wrote him up.
I made so many new friends tonight. I figure even though they obviously aren't too bright, they will eventually get the message and stop messing with me, or they will spend a lot of time locked up not being able to go to the recreation room. This is one of the main sanctions they get when they get wrote up.
Unfortunately, my internet went down Friday night and was down all weekend.
Seems the phone wires at this place were a mess, and it's a wonder I ever got connected at all.
Well, they got fixed yesterday, and I found out that being back in town and this close to the main terminals, I can get DSL up to 10 MBS!!
SWEET!!! So I had them crank it up. Right now I am only at about half that, but they will be sending someone out again to re-do some lines so I get the full 10 MBS.
Eat yer heart out cable guys!!
Another wonderful night tonight.
The orderly in section three decided to argue with me about the time he had to clean the section.
Orderlies get 45 minutes to clean and then are supposed to shower and cell in.
After arguing about the amount of time he got, he finally went to the shower. When he finished in the shower, he stopped to pass notes or something under the door that leads to the next section, section two. This is a big no no. At this point I had the floor officer inform the orderly he was fired. The orderly decided to bang on his bunk, making a bunch of noise, and started yelling "Fuck you!". So I wrote him up.
Then I had an inmate next to him start yelling disrespectful comments at me, so I wrote him up. Then the whole tier decided to throw garbage and feces out on the tier. They will be getting sack meals for breakfast in the morning.
I then had an inmate from section one cover his light with paper. This is one of our "special" inmates and had been warned many times previously for doing this. So I wrote him up.
I made so many new friends tonight. I figure even though they obviously aren't too bright, they will eventually get the message and stop messing with me, or they will spend a lot of time locked up not being able to go to the recreation room. This is one of the main sanctions they get when they get wrote up.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
June 21st
What a night!
First off, some background that I SHOULD have written about last week and didn't get around to. Last week on Friday, the inmates in section three of my unit, the IMU status inmates, started yelling because they wanted to talk to the lieutenant. They didn't get an immediate response, so they behaved like any three year old, or inmate, would. They started yelling disrespectful comments at me and banging their doors. So I wrote seven disciplinary reports for disrespect and disobedience of an order.
Yup, NOW they are a bunch of happy campers.
So last night I get to work, and right off the guy I relieved said it was one of those days. They had a bunch of tension in section one from the shitbombing that happened last week. They did a bunch of moving people around between the two DSU sections to try to settle things down a bit.
Then the corporal that is working the floor in my unit informs me they are going to do a courtesy move. She was going to move an inmate from behind glass to one of the corner cells. (We have four to five cells in each section that have plexiglass attached to the front. This is where we put inmates most likely to shitbomb or spit on staff.) So the inmate she wants to move is one of the seven that I wrote up last week. There are two other inmates behind glass in that section that didn't get involved. I pointed out this little bit of logic in front of the lieutenant and it was decided the inmate would stay where he is.
Then they bring a guy from a unit downstairs to fill the empty cell we have up here. There are three staff bringing this guy up. They get to the control center by me and two of them decide to just stop. So I have the corporal walking this inmate onto the tier by himself, with the lieutenant on that tier talking to inmates. I yell to them that MAYBE at least ONE of them might want to finish the escort up to the cell, considering the lieutenant is right there. (All inmate movement in this building is supposed to be two staff on one inmate.) It is people not paying attention to things like this that can really bite you in the ass.
It will be one of those times that someone gets complacent, and that inmate will turn on the tether and hurt someone.
I have started writing this stuff down while I am at work and emailing it home in hopes of doing a better job of keeping the updates more frequent. So I am at work as I write this, only two hours into my twelve hour shift, and I need a drink!
I can't wait to see what the rest of the night has in store for me.
So to add to my annoyance tonight, an inmate in section two, one of the DSU sections, did not get up and out of his cell in a timely manner today when it was his turn for recreation and a shower. So when the lieutenant walked the tier the guy got on his leg and whined for about 15 minutes. I get a call later telling me to let the guy out so he can shower. Nice how the administration talks this great game about holding inmates responsible for their own actions, but then we bend to their wishes after they screwed up.
Another great case of this tonight. The inmates are not supposed to cover the lights in their cells with anything. They try to put paper over the light fixture to dim their cells. Just last week the captain sent an email out syaing we were not to let the inmates hange stuff on the walls or cover the light fixtures. If they do, we are to go in and search their cell and remove these items for them. Well, I had my floor staff tell an inmate in the DSU section four different times to remove the paper from his light. Each time he just put it back up when they left the tier. Finally at 09:50 I called the lieutenant and told him we need to do something because this inmate was blatantly ignoring the orders he was given. His response....."Well, you turn the lights out in ten minutes anyway, right?" This is the sort of thing that just makes me crazy. We try to do the job they tell us to do, but we can't seem to get any management with the balls to back us up anymore. It used to be when an inmate did something like this, we would go in and strip his cell of all but a blanket and let him live with just that for a day or two. They got the message back then and we didn't have to deal with this bullshit so often. Then they wonder why we get the "I don't give a fuck anymore" attitude.
I decided screw it, I am going to write this guy up anyway. And if his light is covered tomorrow night, I will write him again. And the night after that, and the night after that. Eventually they will get tired of seeing all the paper I am dropping on these clowns and maybe one of them will grow a backbone and give us some support. Either that or my typing skills are gonna get a lot better.
Damn, I REALLY need that drink now......
First off, some background that I SHOULD have written about last week and didn't get around to. Last week on Friday, the inmates in section three of my unit, the IMU status inmates, started yelling because they wanted to talk to the lieutenant. They didn't get an immediate response, so they behaved like any three year old, or inmate, would. They started yelling disrespectful comments at me and banging their doors. So I wrote seven disciplinary reports for disrespect and disobedience of an order.
Yup, NOW they are a bunch of happy campers.
So last night I get to work, and right off the guy I relieved said it was one of those days. They had a bunch of tension in section one from the shitbombing that happened last week. They did a bunch of moving people around between the two DSU sections to try to settle things down a bit.
Then the corporal that is working the floor in my unit informs me they are going to do a courtesy move. She was going to move an inmate from behind glass to one of the corner cells. (We have four to five cells in each section that have plexiglass attached to the front. This is where we put inmates most likely to shitbomb or spit on staff.) So the inmate she wants to move is one of the seven that I wrote up last week. There are two other inmates behind glass in that section that didn't get involved. I pointed out this little bit of logic in front of the lieutenant and it was decided the inmate would stay where he is.
Then they bring a guy from a unit downstairs to fill the empty cell we have up here. There are three staff bringing this guy up. They get to the control center by me and two of them decide to just stop. So I have the corporal walking this inmate onto the tier by himself, with the lieutenant on that tier talking to inmates. I yell to them that MAYBE at least ONE of them might want to finish the escort up to the cell, considering the lieutenant is right there. (All inmate movement in this building is supposed to be two staff on one inmate.) It is people not paying attention to things like this that can really bite you in the ass.
It will be one of those times that someone gets complacent, and that inmate will turn on the tether and hurt someone.
I have started writing this stuff down while I am at work and emailing it home in hopes of doing a better job of keeping the updates more frequent. So I am at work as I write this, only two hours into my twelve hour shift, and I need a drink!
I can't wait to see what the rest of the night has in store for me.
So to add to my annoyance tonight, an inmate in section two, one of the DSU sections, did not get up and out of his cell in a timely manner today when it was his turn for recreation and a shower. So when the lieutenant walked the tier the guy got on his leg and whined for about 15 minutes. I get a call later telling me to let the guy out so he can shower. Nice how the administration talks this great game about holding inmates responsible for their own actions, but then we bend to their wishes after they screwed up.
Another great case of this tonight. The inmates are not supposed to cover the lights in their cells with anything. They try to put paper over the light fixture to dim their cells. Just last week the captain sent an email out syaing we were not to let the inmates hange stuff on the walls or cover the light fixtures. If they do, we are to go in and search their cell and remove these items for them. Well, I had my floor staff tell an inmate in the DSU section four different times to remove the paper from his light. Each time he just put it back up when they left the tier. Finally at 09:50 I called the lieutenant and told him we need to do something because this inmate was blatantly ignoring the orders he was given. His response....."Well, you turn the lights out in ten minutes anyway, right?" This is the sort of thing that just makes me crazy. We try to do the job they tell us to do, but we can't seem to get any management with the balls to back us up anymore. It used to be when an inmate did something like this, we would go in and strip his cell of all but a blanket and let him live with just that for a day or two. They got the message back then and we didn't have to deal with this bullshit so often. Then they wonder why we get the "I don't give a fuck anymore" attitude.
I decided screw it, I am going to write this guy up anyway. And if his light is covered tomorrow night, I will write him again. And the night after that, and the night after that. Eventually they will get tired of seeing all the paper I am dropping on these clowns and maybe one of them will grow a backbone and give us some support. Either that or my typing skills are gonna get a lot better.
Damn, I REALLY need that drink now......
Saturday, June 16, 2007
June 16th
Ok, today lets talk about the fun stuff we get to deal with at the zoo....er I mean prison.
The DSU inmates in my unit get to go to the rec room for excersize 5 days a week. We just open the doors to their cells and they walk to the rec on their own. Well, on Wednesday, as an inmate was released from his cell on the top tier to go to the rec, he walked downstairs and threw a shitbomb into two cells downstairs. A shitbomb is when they fill a cup or other container with feces, stir in a little urine to get it good and soupy, and heave it on you. Generally they save this particular pastime for staff, but this guy said the orderly had been messing with him, so he bombed him and the guys next to him. That brought everything to a standstill as staff figured out what was going on, and had to deal with getting it cleaned up. Oh, and no, staff doesn't actually do the cleanup when something like this happens. We have a team of inmates that get special decontamination training, and they do the dirty work. All in all, I was pretty amused to see them throwing shit on each other for a change, instead of one of us.
Now you are asking yourself if I have ever been shitbombed aren't you. (C'mon, I know you care like that) Well, the answer is no, I have been able to avoid that so far, at least not by an inmate. A number of years ago I did a six month bid on Com gate. This is a post that is along the walkway from the main housing units to the dining room. We have keys for, and control the movement going upstairs to our infirmary, the back area of culinary and the gate going to the big yard. So this is pretty much an outside post. Part of the time you are under a covering that leads to the dining room, but most of it is under the blue sky. Well, I made it to the last day of this post and was letting inmates out on the yard. As I stood with my little counter, diligently clicking away and watching inmates enter the yard, one of the many birds that fly around let go and dropped a big 'ol bomb of his own right on my shoulder. Six months I did this post, and I get hit on the last damn day. It's a good thing it isn't an armed post, or i would have been doing some bird hunting.
In other news, a very good friend of mine that is an officer at a minimum institution near me was called into the office by his acting institution security manager.
He was given a velcro Sergeant position starting next week.
We call it a "Velcro" when someone is given an out of class position.
He will be an acting Sergeant, but it is a temporary gig until he interviews for and is given a full status position.
He has an interview here for a regular Sergeant position next week.
Having those Sergeant stripes on his collar when he interviews should be an advantage for him.
I wish you the best of luck Sarge!
The DSU inmates in my unit get to go to the rec room for excersize 5 days a week. We just open the doors to their cells and they walk to the rec on their own. Well, on Wednesday, as an inmate was released from his cell on the top tier to go to the rec, he walked downstairs and threw a shitbomb into two cells downstairs. A shitbomb is when they fill a cup or other container with feces, stir in a little urine to get it good and soupy, and heave it on you. Generally they save this particular pastime for staff, but this guy said the orderly had been messing with him, so he bombed him and the guys next to him. That brought everything to a standstill as staff figured out what was going on, and had to deal with getting it cleaned up. Oh, and no, staff doesn't actually do the cleanup when something like this happens. We have a team of inmates that get special decontamination training, and they do the dirty work. All in all, I was pretty amused to see them throwing shit on each other for a change, instead of one of us.
Now you are asking yourself if I have ever been shitbombed aren't you. (C'mon, I know you care like that) Well, the answer is no, I have been able to avoid that so far, at least not by an inmate. A number of years ago I did a six month bid on Com gate. This is a post that is along the walkway from the main housing units to the dining room. We have keys for, and control the movement going upstairs to our infirmary, the back area of culinary and the gate going to the big yard. So this is pretty much an outside post. Part of the time you are under a covering that leads to the dining room, but most of it is under the blue sky. Well, I made it to the last day of this post and was letting inmates out on the yard. As I stood with my little counter, diligently clicking away and watching inmates enter the yard, one of the many birds that fly around let go and dropped a big 'ol bomb of his own right on my shoulder. Six months I did this post, and I get hit on the last damn day. It's a good thing it isn't an armed post, or i would have been doing some bird hunting.
In other news, a very good friend of mine that is an officer at a minimum institution near me was called into the office by his acting institution security manager.
He was given a velcro Sergeant position starting next week.
We call it a "Velcro" when someone is given an out of class position.
He will be an acting Sergeant, but it is a temporary gig until he interviews for and is given a full status position.
He has an interview here for a regular Sergeant position next week.
Having those Sergeant stripes on his collar when he interviews should be an advantage for him.
I wish you the best of luck Sarge!
Friday, June 15, 2007
June 15th
Today's post is a bit somber. I posted a couple weeks back that we suffered the loss of a Sargeant. There was a memorial service held for him yesterday. This is one of those times the administration did something completly right. They pretty much shut down the institution, and tried to get coverage for as many people as possible to attend. They even used a transport bus to drive people from work to the place the memorial was held.
I had said before what a profound impact this man had on a lot of peoples lives, mine included. There was a folder on our computer system at work for people to leave their memories and goodbyes. I started reading through them last night and must admit I didn't do a very good job of holding back the tears. Yes, we may get a bit twisted and cynical working in the environment we do, but we are still feeling human beings.
With a lump in my throat again, I would like to share with you some of the many posts that were left as a tribute to a man that will be missed by so many people.
I remember the first day of our training together as new officers back in 1991. When it was your turn to stand up and speak about yourself you said you were retired Air Force. As a fellow Air Force veteran this peaked my curiosity about you and a friendship developed. I always admired your sense of humor, quick wit and your ever present smile. I always enjoyed when we were assigned to work together, your calmness and professionalism rubbed off on staff and inmates alike. I was deeply saddened when I heard the news of your passing. Your memory will live on forever in my heart.
-Correction Officer
It brought me great disbelief and sorrow to hear about your passing. It brings me great sadness to lose one of our finest and it fills my heart with sorrow. Thanks for your help and guidance, you made me feel at ease when I needed help and direction. I could always count on you to set the pace for my day. You will be greatly missed I will always hear the words you would say to me, "YOU'LL GET IT, IT WILL WORK OUT." Mahalo (Thank you). Fly with angels my friend Farewell. My heart goes out to the family of "Papa"
-Correction Officer
I'm deeply sadden of your passing. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
It hurts me to know you won't be around to talk about our bike adventures "Even though you didn't have a Harley".
Your calming composer during tense situations, your big smile and laugh to take you away from your environment, if even for just a moment. You'll never be Forgotten.
Keep the wind in your face and the rubber down my brother.
-Correction Corporal
I was saddened by the news of your loss. If a man is measured by friendships, then "Papa" was a rich man. He will truly be missed at OSP. A friend, mentor, and a wonderful person. Thanks for sharing him with the rest of us.
-Correction Lieutenant
"Papa", you will forever be in my thoughts and my heart. I can't help but think of the negative environment we work in and the long term effects it can have on a person. How many of us spend so much time living in the past, stressing about the future and missing the precious moments of today. I have never seen that from you, I can not recall a single time I have ever heard you lay your troubles on someone else, but instead, would make time to help us with ours. You are a true inspiration, a true hearted friend and one of a kind. It always amazed me how just your presence alone, would change the tone of the atmosphere and had a calming effect on those around you.
It has been a blessing knowing you and one could only dream of being remembered some day, as you are. Our prayers go out to your family
-Correction Officer
What a wonderful and special man to so many staff members here at OSP. I met "Papa" my first day at OSP in the "smoke break room". The one thing that I will always remember during our breaks is when [name withheld] would come in and those two would start telling the funniest stories. The one thing that really sticks out in my memory of him is how he spoke about his loving Wife, Children, Grandchildren and his soon to be daughter-in-law.
When I think of him, tears come to my eyes, because he was such a super person. I just can't get his smile out of my mind. He brightened up this place with his smile and always being so friendly to everyone and we can't forget his laugh.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the whole family - all the memories you hold in your heart of this great man will keep him alive in spirit.
He will truly be missed by all that knew and worked with him.
-Institution Support Specialist
I was truly shocked and deeply saddened when I received the news of "Papa's" passing. I will always remember his smile which was warm and at times left me wondering what he was up to. He was a good man who told it like it was and was always willing to help out another as well as sharing his experience with all. A better wordsmith than I once said, "We are richer for having known him and poorer for his passing." My family's hearts and thoughts are with the family.
-Correction Lieutenant
Unfortunately, I did not have the honor to work many hours directly with "Papa". But I did have the pleasure of watching him from my position of a supervisor at OSP. What I observed was a man who brought a sense of calmness and maturity to the day to day chaos at the Penitentiary. He recognized that corrections is a "people business" and he had a talent that I very much appreciated. He was a friend to many, and a leader to many more. It was a pleasure to have worked with him, and I appreciate the knowledge and skills he was able to pass on to others while he was with us. He will be greatly missed.
-Superintendent
Working in this environment isn't always easy, There's one thing that you can count on, that is when you walk into work and across the floor you would be greeted with a smile and sometimes a joke.
You will always be remembered with a smile.
-Correction Officer
Everyone we meet adds to the fullness of our experience on this earth. I'm very thankful that I can count "Papa" among the friends who've enriched my journey.
When I think of him my mind's eye sees his warm smile and hears his hearty laugh.
It's a rare man that is so universally liked and respected.
Fare You Well, Friend.
You'll live on in the hearts of the people you blessed in life.
-Correction Officer
You helped me when I was new. You helped me when I wasn't. You were not selfish and you believed in the team. I looked forward to the days we worked together. I even like working with your son, who is a reflection of you. I liked the stories of the casino trips. I'm sure everyone did. So, Thanks for everything. Your memory will always live in me and OSP.
-Correction Corporal
There were even more, but I think this is getting long enough.
I just wanted to share some of the thoughts from just a few of the people that felt the same as I.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
June 12th
Yes, I know I have been bad about updating.
This last week I only worked one of my assigned days.
I went to the hospital for a test to be done on Thursday. I was expecting an hour or hour and a half and then going home to bed. OOhhh nooooo, I went in at 07:30 am and didn't get released until 01:00 pm. Having no time to sleep, I didn't make it in that night. Then I went in Friday night and within two hours had a headache the likes of which I have never known. You see, this test they did Thursday was to put a dye directly into my spinal fluid so they could get a clear picture of a bulging disc in my lower back. Well, it seems that dye made its way to my head and caused the headache from hell. It was so bad the little red LED lights that indicate an open door on my control panel seared right to the back of my skull. I became shaky and nauseous to the point I actually had my wife come pick me up, as I didn't feel that I should ride the Goldwing home. (I'm telling you folks, it is a BAD day when I don't want to ride the bike!!)
So, home to bed in a dark room with a cool towel over my eyes for the rest of the night.
Then Saturday they called me to work an extra shift. It was only an eight hour shift, so I told them I would come in. I STILL had that stupid headache that evening, but it was a little more manageable by then. (Thanks to my friend Vicadin) Got a call to go in again Sunday night for a twelve hour shift. That headache was still my constant companion, but had moved to the back of my head and was just a slight dull ache by then. It has finally gone away now.
They called me to work again Monday, but by then I was pretty much burned out and decided I needed a day off. This is my long week and I have to go in tonight.
Work has been pretty quiet, we now have two sections of my unit filled with the DSU inmates. It has gotten a bit loud in the evenings, but they are still pretty good about bringing the noise level down when the lights go out at 10:00 pm.
The Special Housing Captain sent out an email last week, encouraging us to hold the line and make these guys from DSU follow the rules. He wants us to set the tone right from the start of this new transition. I just hope the administration has the balls to back us up and let us do that. One of the most frustrating things we have dealt with is doing our job, writing people up for rule infractions, and then some prick from hearings dismissing or lowering the charges. If they want us to hold them accountable for their actions and to do our jobs as intended, they have to stand behind us so we are taken seriously when we have interaction with the inmates. That hasn't been happening as it should for a while. I hope to hell this change will make a difference and we as line staff start getting the support we need.
Time will tell....
This last week I only worked one of my assigned days.
I went to the hospital for a test to be done on Thursday. I was expecting an hour or hour and a half and then going home to bed. OOhhh nooooo, I went in at 07:30 am and didn't get released until 01:00 pm. Having no time to sleep, I didn't make it in that night. Then I went in Friday night and within two hours had a headache the likes of which I have never known. You see, this test they did Thursday was to put a dye directly into my spinal fluid so they could get a clear picture of a bulging disc in my lower back. Well, it seems that dye made its way to my head and caused the headache from hell. It was so bad the little red LED lights that indicate an open door on my control panel seared right to the back of my skull. I became shaky and nauseous to the point I actually had my wife come pick me up, as I didn't feel that I should ride the Goldwing home. (I'm telling you folks, it is a BAD day when I don't want to ride the bike!!)
So, home to bed in a dark room with a cool towel over my eyes for the rest of the night.
Then Saturday they called me to work an extra shift. It was only an eight hour shift, so I told them I would come in. I STILL had that stupid headache that evening, but it was a little more manageable by then. (Thanks to my friend Vicadin) Got a call to go in again Sunday night for a twelve hour shift. That headache was still my constant companion, but had moved to the back of my head and was just a slight dull ache by then. It has finally gone away now.
They called me to work again Monday, but by then I was pretty much burned out and decided I needed a day off. This is my long week and I have to go in tonight.
Work has been pretty quiet, we now have two sections of my unit filled with the DSU inmates. It has gotten a bit loud in the evenings, but they are still pretty good about bringing the noise level down when the lights go out at 10:00 pm.
The Special Housing Captain sent out an email last week, encouraging us to hold the line and make these guys from DSU follow the rules. He wants us to set the tone right from the start of this new transition. I just hope the administration has the balls to back us up and let us do that. One of the most frustrating things we have dealt with is doing our job, writing people up for rule infractions, and then some prick from hearings dismissing or lowering the charges. If they want us to hold them accountable for their actions and to do our jobs as intended, they have to stand behind us so we are taken seriously when we have interaction with the inmates. That hasn't been happening as it should for a while. I hope to hell this change will make a difference and we as line staff start getting the support we need.
Time will tell....
Friday, June 1, 2007
June 1st
Well, we finally got everything moved AGAIN.
Yup, you might recall we just moved in March, well, the property owners needed their property back due to some family health issues, so we had to move again.
We are at our new house now and just got the internet back up.
I REALLY hate moving. What a pain in the ass.
Things at work have been pretty quiet. They moved all the inmates out of section I of my unit yesterday. They are planning on moving more DSU inmates in on Monday. Things might get a little interesting when they do.
We had some very sad news this week. A very beloved Sergeant had a heart attack and died while he was vacationing in Arizona on Wednesday morning. His son is also a Sergeant at the same prison. He was always such a great guy to work around. He always had a smile on his face. He was the kind of guy that you wanted to be around when you were feeling down, or upset because he had a knack for always making you feel better and putting things in perspective. He had a profound impact on a lot of staff and will be sorely missed.
Rest in peace "Papa"
Yup, you might recall we just moved in March, well, the property owners needed their property back due to some family health issues, so we had to move again.
We are at our new house now and just got the internet back up.
I REALLY hate moving. What a pain in the ass.
Things at work have been pretty quiet. They moved all the inmates out of section I of my unit yesterday. They are planning on moving more DSU inmates in on Monday. Things might get a little interesting when they do.
We had some very sad news this week. A very beloved Sergeant had a heart attack and died while he was vacationing in Arizona on Wednesday morning. His son is also a Sergeant at the same prison. He was always such a great guy to work around. He always had a smile on his face. He was the kind of guy that you wanted to be around when you were feeling down, or upset because he had a knack for always making you feel better and putting things in perspective. He had a profound impact on a lot of staff and will be sorely missed.
Rest in peace "Papa"
Sunday, May 20, 2007
May 20th
Pretty quiet week at work this week.
The other night the inmates in section two of the unit kept making a bunch of noise, and yelling to inmates in section three, which they aren't supposed to do. The inmates in my unit have small radios that they get to listen to. I have a switch box that can cut power to them, so I did. They ALL started yelling and banging doors and generally acting like inmates. The floor staff went in and told them if they want them back on they had to settle down and be quiet for 15 minutes. They all talked a bunch of smack, but guess what?! Ten minutes later it was nice and quiet again. I love those radios. They are such a great tool. Oh yeah, the inmates were quiet the rest of the night.
Nothing else going on. It has been pretty mellow for a while. We just enjoy it while we can knowing that eventually someone is gonna nut up again and things get hectic for a while.
The other night the inmates in section two of the unit kept making a bunch of noise, and yelling to inmates in section three, which they aren't supposed to do. The inmates in my unit have small radios that they get to listen to. I have a switch box that can cut power to them, so I did. They ALL started yelling and banging doors and generally acting like inmates. The floor staff went in and told them if they want them back on they had to settle down and be quiet for 15 minutes. They all talked a bunch of smack, but guess what?! Ten minutes later it was nice and quiet again. I love those radios. They are such a great tool. Oh yeah, the inmates were quiet the rest of the night.
Nothing else going on. It has been pretty mellow for a while. We just enjoy it while we can knowing that eventually someone is gonna nut up again and things get hectic for a while.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
May 13th - Mothers Day
Just wanted to jump in to wish my Mom and my wonderful Wife a HAPPY MOTHERS DAY. For all the things you have done, and continue to do I thank you for being there for me.
To all you other moms out there, I hope today is special for you and those that you have made a tremendous impact on their lives offer you a great big hug.
To all you other moms out there, I hope today is special for you and those that you have made a tremendous impact on their lives offer you a great big hug.
Friday, May 11, 2007
May 11th
Back to the same old grind this week.
Wednesday night, nothing out of the ordinary.
There was a change made while I was gone to training last week though.
They moved 24 inmates from DSU into section 3 of my unit. Eventually the unit I currently work in, and the one below mine that now houses death row, will all be used for DSU inmates. DSU is the Disciplinary Segregation Unit. The other 2 units in the building will remain IMU.
The old DSU building will become SHU (Special Housing Unit) and will be used for death row and administrative segregation, also known as protective custody.
When I got on shift last night I was informed an inmate in the DSU section had spit on the unit corporal when he was picking up the dinner meal trays. This inmate was in one of the bottom tier cells that is a 2 man cell. An inmate was moved out of a top tier cell, which are single cells, so this inmate could be placed up top. Shortly after 0700 pm the inmates in that section started yelling man down. This is what inmates call out if someone is having a medical problem or something. The inmate that had spit on the Corporal was attempting to hang himself.
Now this is where you tell the difference between a veteran staff and someone fairly new. I grabbed my radio, but just held it for a minute as the floor officer came to the front of that section to see what was going on. He saw what was happening and immediately grabbed his radio and called for all staff to respond to a suicide attempt. He was the one who called it, so guess who does the paperwork! THAT is a learned skill folks. Just to clarify, the inmate was really only making a half-assed attempt of hanging himself to get attention and get moved to the psych unit, so there was no real immediate threat that he was going to actually hurt himself.
All staff in the building were in the unit in about 60 seconds, and within two more minutes the inmate backed up for restraints and was taken down to the medical room. The nurse came to the building to talk to him, and he WAS moved to the psych unit for further evaluation this morning.
Then just as everyone is winding down from this bit of excitement, at about 0735 the B unit corporal calls man down in his unit. An inmate with a bad ticker (he has a pacemakerunit in him) dropped while in the shower. So all staff once again come running up and they get this guy out of the unit to the corridor between B and D unit. I stood up and was watching from down the hall. I saw the inmates legs jerk, and staff leaned over him. I thought, Oh shit, they are doing CPR. This is not good. Well, it turns out they were not doing CPR, but the guys pacemaker was zapping him trying to keep his heart working. His legs jerked every time it hit him. Those things must really pack a wallop. They ended up calling an ambulance and running him to the hospital. I heard before I left this morning that he was doing ok.
Then at about 0930 an inmate in the old DSU building threw salad dressing and other food stuff on an officer. So they brought that inmate down to us and put him in the cell that the guy had been in that went to the psych unit. I must have had to change our count on the little tabs we keep track of how many inmates we have 6 times last night. I decided from now on I am going to just wait until 10:00 when we turn the lights out to update it. Things finally quieted down after that, and the rest of the night was uneventful.
Thats life in the big house for you.
Monday, May 7, 2007
May 7th
Well, I let this go to long without an update. I had intended to update each evening as I was in training last week, but having to work dayshift pretty much kicked my ass last week. All I wanted was to collapse on the couch until it was time to go to bed. Then I got to lay in bed wishing for sleep to come. There is a reason I still bid night shift, I DON'T DO MORNINGS!!
Training last week, despite having to get up at a ridiculous time of the morning, was not bad. We had the usual refresher talks about things like ethics and team effectiveness, treatment of the mentally ill in prison, communicable diseases and inmate access to health care, a lecture on the acceptable use of technology at work (aka, don't play on the computers or use it for personal stuff), emergency preparedness and PREA - the Prison Rape Elimination Act.
Then there was a four hour class that was titled "Customer Service". I was planning on coming home that night and UNLOADING on this particular class. Things were running through my head like, "Inmates are NOT my customers" and "Gee, the definition of customer is one who buys goods or services. The only staff that I know that have sold any goods or services to inmates are either in jail themselves, or looking for a new job." It turns out that the class was actually supposed to be more along the lines of boosting morale, and they were saying our fellow staff are our customers. It still doesn't really work with the definition, but after sitting through the class, it was easy to see where they were going with it. In a nutshell, they were trying to encourage everyone to keep up their spirits, and try to have a positive attitude while at work. Not always such an easy thing to do in the type of environment we work in, but it is possible to still have a decent time and not let things get to you.
Then the week ended with a day of shooting to qualify for armed posts, and a day of defensive tactics. All in all not a bad week. Getting up at 6:00 am is incredibly painful for me, but it was a nice break from the same old grind at work.
Training last week, despite having to get up at a ridiculous time of the morning, was not bad. We had the usual refresher talks about things like ethics and team effectiveness, treatment of the mentally ill in prison, communicable diseases and inmate access to health care, a lecture on the acceptable use of technology at work (aka, don't play on the computers or use it for personal stuff), emergency preparedness and PREA - the Prison Rape Elimination Act.
Then there was a four hour class that was titled "Customer Service". I was planning on coming home that night and UNLOADING on this particular class. Things were running through my head like, "Inmates are NOT my customers" and "Gee, the definition of customer is one who buys goods or services. The only staff that I know that have sold any goods or services to inmates are either in jail themselves, or looking for a new job." It turns out that the class was actually supposed to be more along the lines of boosting morale, and they were saying our fellow staff are our customers. It still doesn't really work with the definition, but after sitting through the class, it was easy to see where they were going with it. In a nutshell, they were trying to encourage everyone to keep up their spirits, and try to have a positive attitude while at work. Not always such an easy thing to do in the type of environment we work in, but it is possible to still have a decent time and not let things get to you.
Then the week ended with a day of shooting to qualify for armed posts, and a day of defensive tactics. All in all not a bad week. Getting up at 6:00 am is incredibly painful for me, but it was a nice break from the same old grind at work.
Friday, April 27, 2007
April 27th
Thought I should jump in for an update.
Not much to tell though really. It has been pretty quiet this last week. The weather has been pretty decent. It has been nice to be able to ride the Goldwing to work all week.
Tonight is my last night for a week, I go to inservice training next week. We do 40 hours of training every year, and next week it's my turn. The only real drag is having to get up and be in at 07:30 am. Not an easy task for someone who has spent so much time working nights. I don't do mornings very well. Oh well, it makes for a nice change of pace for a week. That and I get a week of not having to deal with inmates.
Not much to tell though really. It has been pretty quiet this last week. The weather has been pretty decent. It has been nice to be able to ride the Goldwing to work all week.
Tonight is my last night for a week, I go to inservice training next week. We do 40 hours of training every year, and next week it's my turn. The only real drag is having to get up and be in at 07:30 am. Not an easy task for someone who has spent so much time working nights. I don't do mornings very well. Oh well, it makes for a nice change of pace for a week. That and I get a week of not having to deal with inmates.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
April 22nd
The guy that they had to take to the hospital last night did in fact use a shoelace around his neck with pencils to tighten it. The staff found him unconcious, but they did get him in time and he came back to the institution at about 9:00 am this morning and is expected to fully recover. He had apparently cut himself on his face and arms as well, but they were mostly superficial cuts.
We have two new inmates on death row as of Friday. About four years ago an inmate was stabbed and beaten to death in the activities section of the Penitentiary. These two had been awaiting trial for it, and finished and were apparently sentenced last Friday. They both got the death sentence. The sad part is, in Oregon, they are more likely to die of old age than being executed.
Well, I am off to do another overtime shift. The boss just called and is getting desperate, he has four posts to cover.
We have two new inmates on death row as of Friday. About four years ago an inmate was stabbed and beaten to death in the activities section of the Penitentiary. These two had been awaiting trial for it, and finished and were apparently sentenced last Friday. They both got the death sentence. The sad part is, in Oregon, they are more likely to die of old age than being executed.
Well, I am off to do another overtime shift. The boss just called and is getting desperate, he has four posts to cover.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
April 21st
Well, things got interesting again last night. Right before lights out at 10:00 pm we got a call on the radio for all floor staff to report to the ready room. They had a cell fight in DSU (Disciplinary Segregation Unit) and they pulled all of our staff to go deal with it. They left one person to cover our whole building. At least we had everything done for the night, so it didn't matter so much, as long as we didn't have anyone get stupid. Fortunatley we didn't and they got the guys out in DSU with nothing more than a good dousing of pepper spray.
Then at just after 4:00 am we get another call. While doing the 4:00 am count, an inmate had attempted to kill himself. The way I heard it was he tied some string or a shoelace around his neck and used pencils to turn it like a tourniquet. When found he was unconcious. They called an ambulance and they again pulled two of our staff to go to the hospital with him. This left us with two people to feed breakfast at 5:oo am. Two people to serve meals to 150 inmates, it was going to be a late morning for us. Fortunatley some of the dayshift guys showed up early and jumped in to help feed, so it gone done only about 10 minutes later than usual. By the time I left, I hadn't heard anything about the guy that tried to kill himself. I am going in tonight to do an extra shift, so I will post in the morning if I hear anything more.
Then at just after 4:00 am we get another call. While doing the 4:00 am count, an inmate had attempted to kill himself. The way I heard it was he tied some string or a shoelace around his neck and used pencils to turn it like a tourniquet. When found he was unconcious. They called an ambulance and they again pulled two of our staff to go to the hospital with him. This left us with two people to feed breakfast at 5:oo am. Two people to serve meals to 150 inmates, it was going to be a late morning for us. Fortunatley some of the dayshift guys showed up early and jumped in to help feed, so it gone done only about 10 minutes later than usual. By the time I left, I hadn't heard anything about the guy that tried to kill himself. I am going in tonight to do an extra shift, so I will post in the morning if I hear anything more.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
April 19th
Last night was one of those great nights where everything happens at once.
Shortly after we got on shift, the lieutenant had to go to SMU. Smu is the Special Management Unit, our psych unit. We had just got our orderlies out to clean their respective units, when she called me and said she needed some staff up in SMU to assist with an inmate that was out of control. They were going to need a team to place the inmate in a restraint chair. The restraint chair is a chair that is low to the ground and on wheels that has straps for the arms, legs and chest to restrain an inmate that may cause self harm. So two of our staff left the building in a hurry to go help. We had to lock our orderlies back up, since we were now working with only two floor staff in the building, not enough to respond if we were to have a problem.
The two staff that went out to help made it as far as the foot gate. Our unit is entirely fenced in within the institution. There is a gate that we go through that is right under one of the towers, and that tower has a switch to open the gate to let us in and out. So of course, the lock failed. The Lt. is freaking out wanting those staff in SMU NOW, and they are stuck behind the gate trying desperatley to get out. They are finally able to get the gate to release so they can get out, but the lock is still malfunctioning, so they start trying to get someone out to fix it.
Then about ten minutes after this mess, while still running with just two staff in the building, I get a call from our transport unit. They are on the way to our unit in about twenty minutes with six new inmates for us from an institution in eastern Oregon. Now we don't have enough staff to bring these guys in, we don't have a lieutenant that can authorize the gate to be lifted to bring them in, and the gate still isn't fixed even if we did. They ended up having to bring them in through the visiting area for our unit, and they had to help bring them in. They were ecstatic over this news, as they were already running late and several hours past what should have been the end of their shift already.
Well, eventually, we got our new admits in and settled, they got the guy in SMU in the chair and settled down and the gate got fixed. It was getting late at this point, so the orderlies didn't get out to finish cleaning so they did what inmates do best and bitched, whined and complained for a while, but things finally calmed down and the rest of the night went pretty smooth.
On a happier note, looks like the weather is going to be kind tonight so I can ride the bike to work. What a way to spoil a good ride, having to pull in to work at the end of it. Oh well, I gotta be there, might as well enjoy getting there.
Shortly after we got on shift, the lieutenant had to go to SMU. Smu is the Special Management Unit, our psych unit. We had just got our orderlies out to clean their respective units, when she called me and said she needed some staff up in SMU to assist with an inmate that was out of control. They were going to need a team to place the inmate in a restraint chair. The restraint chair is a chair that is low to the ground and on wheels that has straps for the arms, legs and chest to restrain an inmate that may cause self harm. So two of our staff left the building in a hurry to go help. We had to lock our orderlies back up, since we were now working with only two floor staff in the building, not enough to respond if we were to have a problem.
The two staff that went out to help made it as far as the foot gate. Our unit is entirely fenced in within the institution. There is a gate that we go through that is right under one of the towers, and that tower has a switch to open the gate to let us in and out. So of course, the lock failed. The Lt. is freaking out wanting those staff in SMU NOW, and they are stuck behind the gate trying desperatley to get out. They are finally able to get the gate to release so they can get out, but the lock is still malfunctioning, so they start trying to get someone out to fix it.
Then about ten minutes after this mess, while still running with just two staff in the building, I get a call from our transport unit. They are on the way to our unit in about twenty minutes with six new inmates for us from an institution in eastern Oregon. Now we don't have enough staff to bring these guys in, we don't have a lieutenant that can authorize the gate to be lifted to bring them in, and the gate still isn't fixed even if we did. They ended up having to bring them in through the visiting area for our unit, and they had to help bring them in. They were ecstatic over this news, as they were already running late and several hours past what should have been the end of their shift already.
Well, eventually, we got our new admits in and settled, they got the guy in SMU in the chair and settled down and the gate got fixed. It was getting late at this point, so the orderlies didn't get out to finish cleaning so they did what inmates do best and bitched, whined and complained for a while, but things finally calmed down and the rest of the night went pretty smooth.
On a happier note, looks like the weather is going to be kind tonight so I can ride the bike to work. What a way to spoil a good ride, having to pull in to work at the end of it. Oh well, I gotta be there, might as well enjoy getting there.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
April 15th
OK, so I am a couple days late. It has been a busy week.
For starters, it turns out the fire at OSCI and the fight were not related. There was apparently just a small electrical fire. Then there was a fight that was unrelated. I never get much details other than that.
Nothing really exciting this week. I worked an extra shift Saturday night. I decided to ride the goldwing to work, despite the dark clouds. It was clear here when I left the house, but there were some ugly looking clouds up north. As I cruised north on I-5 I managed to stay just behind the rain. It had blown past before I got to it and the road was wet, but I didn't get rained on for most of the ride.
Then I got to an area that has some high hills just south of Salem. As I approached the hills it started to rain so I slipped into the slow lane and slowed a bit. As I got further up the hill it started to rain harder, then I hit a hail storm. It was just little hail, but as it started peppering my face at 65 miles an hour I decided it sucks just a little bit. Fortunately it didn't last long, and once I cleared the hills it was clear again. Oh well, it was still a nice ride.
For starters, it turns out the fire at OSCI and the fight were not related. There was apparently just a small electrical fire. Then there was a fight that was unrelated. I never get much details other than that.
Nothing really exciting this week. I worked an extra shift Saturday night. I decided to ride the goldwing to work, despite the dark clouds. It was clear here when I left the house, but there were some ugly looking clouds up north. As I cruised north on I-5 I managed to stay just behind the rain. It had blown past before I got to it and the road was wet, but I didn't get rained on for most of the ride.
Then I got to an area that has some high hills just south of Salem. As I approached the hills it started to rain so I slipped into the slow lane and slowed a bit. As I got further up the hill it started to rain harder, then I hit a hail storm. It was just little hail, but as it started peppering my face at 65 miles an hour I decided it sucks just a little bit. Fortunately it didn't last long, and once I cleared the hills it was clear again. Oh well, it was still a nice ride.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
April 12th
Sorry to those of you who actually read this rubish and look for more. It has been a while, I have been bad about keeping up.
There hasn't really been a whole lot going on lately, things have been pretty quiet, which is a good thing I suppose, all things considered.
This morning looked like it was going to be a real cluster, but it turned out not to be too bad. I was informed at 10 minutes to 5:00 am that we had an inmate we had to wake in our unit to be shipped out. I got this information from the guy working control in another unit. Thanks for passing along the info there LT. We feed breakfast at 5:05 am, so we didn't have much time to get him up, have him pack his belongings, and get him downstairs before breakfast was served.
THEN we got word that we were getting 5 new inmates from OSCI, another institution in Salem. The details are a bit fuzzy still, but there was something mentioned about a fire and some fights. I have no idea at this point if the inmates started a fire, or what exactly happened. I will find out tonight and post what details I can tomorrow.
We were afraid we would get these guys in just as breakfast got to the building. This has happened before, and can really throw a monkey wrench in the morning routine. The biggest being, we all get to go home late because everything gets delayed. Fortunately, they didn't get to us, so we were able to get breakfast served and split before they got there.
There hasn't really been a whole lot going on lately, things have been pretty quiet, which is a good thing I suppose, all things considered.
This morning looked like it was going to be a real cluster, but it turned out not to be too bad. I was informed at 10 minutes to 5:00 am that we had an inmate we had to wake in our unit to be shipped out. I got this information from the guy working control in another unit. Thanks for passing along the info there LT. We feed breakfast at 5:05 am, so we didn't have much time to get him up, have him pack his belongings, and get him downstairs before breakfast was served.
THEN we got word that we were getting 5 new inmates from OSCI, another institution in Salem. The details are a bit fuzzy still, but there was something mentioned about a fire and some fights. I have no idea at this point if the inmates started a fire, or what exactly happened. I will find out tonight and post what details I can tomorrow.
We were afraid we would get these guys in just as breakfast got to the building. This has happened before, and can really throw a monkey wrench in the morning routine. The biggest being, we all get to go home late because everything gets delayed. Fortunately, they didn't get to us, so we were able to get breakfast served and split before they got there.
Friday, March 30, 2007
March 30th
Well, got back to work this week.
12 hours makes for a LONG shift with my back still hurting, but with a little help from my constant companion, Vicadin, I am getting by.
Last night was interesting. There is an inmate that was unhappy with the meds he recieved from the nurse. He felt they were the wrong ones, or not enough or something. So he did what any normal person would do under those circumstances and took his balls hostage. Oh yeah, you heard me right. He tied something around his testicles and decided he was going to castrate himself.
Now I'm thinking, this will be fun, let's leave him be and check on him in the morning. We can't do that of course.
Sigh, things would be so much more fun if I were in charge.
So everyone has to suit up to do a cell extraction, because this clown is refusing to back up for restraints so they can check on him. And as usual, right after everyone takes the time to get suited up, he decides to cooperate and back up.
Here is another thing that would change if I were in charge. If I have asked you 3 or more times to back up and you refuse, and I have to take the time to pull all my staff in and suit up, we ARE coming in the hard way to get you. What's that?, you are willing to back up now? Oh, no can do my friend. That ship has already sailed, ready or not, here we come!
Anyway, he backed up, the hostages were freed, and the rest of the night was quiet.
The weather has been pretty nice the last couple days so I have been able to ride the motorcycle to work. It has been a bit chilly coming home in the morning, but still a nice ride. They are saying we will get a little rain this afternoon. I am hoping it is light and clears up so I can ride again tonight.
12 hours makes for a LONG shift with my back still hurting, but with a little help from my constant companion, Vicadin, I am getting by.
Last night was interesting. There is an inmate that was unhappy with the meds he recieved from the nurse. He felt they were the wrong ones, or not enough or something. So he did what any normal person would do under those circumstances and took his balls hostage. Oh yeah, you heard me right. He tied something around his testicles and decided he was going to castrate himself.
Now I'm thinking, this will be fun, let's leave him be and check on him in the morning. We can't do that of course.
Sigh, things would be so much more fun if I were in charge.
So everyone has to suit up to do a cell extraction, because this clown is refusing to back up for restraints so they can check on him. And as usual, right after everyone takes the time to get suited up, he decides to cooperate and back up.
Here is another thing that would change if I were in charge. If I have asked you 3 or more times to back up and you refuse, and I have to take the time to pull all my staff in and suit up, we ARE coming in the hard way to get you. What's that?, you are willing to back up now? Oh, no can do my friend. That ship has already sailed, ready or not, here we come!
Anyway, he backed up, the hostages were freed, and the rest of the night was quiet.
The weather has been pretty nice the last couple days so I have been able to ride the motorcycle to work. It has been a bit chilly coming home in the morning, but still a nice ride. They are saying we will get a little rain this afternoon. I am hoping it is light and clears up so I can ride again tonight.
Friday, March 23, 2007
March 23rd
Nope, I haven't left this to the wayside.
We moved over the first weekend of the month and didn't get the internet setup at our new house until yesterday.
Not a lot has been going on.
I managed to get through the move without hurting my back, and then the day AFTER we got moved I decided to get my computer set up. As I lifted my antique, massive old 19" monitor off the ground, my back went out. So I have missed the last week of work.
I went in Thursday morning and had pain block shots in my back. They use an x-ray machine and run a needle right in next to my spine and shoot me with a steroid that has anti-inflammatory properties. So far I still hurt like hell, but I think it is starting to ease off a little.
So when I get back to work next week I will be sure to start updating again.
We moved over the first weekend of the month and didn't get the internet setup at our new house until yesterday.
Not a lot has been going on.
I managed to get through the move without hurting my back, and then the day AFTER we got moved I decided to get my computer set up. As I lifted my antique, massive old 19" monitor off the ground, my back went out. So I have missed the last week of work.
I went in Thursday morning and had pain block shots in my back. They use an x-ray machine and run a needle right in next to my spine and shoot me with a steroid that has anti-inflammatory properties. So far I still hurt like hell, but I think it is starting to ease off a little.
So when I get back to work next week I will be sure to start updating again.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
March 1st
Not much going on this week so far.
It has been pretty quiet for the most part.
Did have a funny one when I did count the other night. There is a new inmate that was brought in to A unit. This is the unit where guys that first come into the building go. This guy started hollering at me as soon as I got on the tier wanting me to come to the front of his cell and talk to him. I told him I was doing count, and if he wanted to talk to do it while I was walking. He proceeded to yell out to tell me he wasn't a rape-o or anything and he wanted to be treated better. He wanted a pillow, he wanted a cell with running water, (He is in a water controlled cell), he wanted a better cell in general, he wanted to go to population, and on and on and on. He continued to rant the whole time I was walking the tier. As I finished and was walking out I looked at him and told him I don't know why he is telling ME all this, I am not the guy in a position to make it happen for him. THAT was it. He nutted up and started kicking his cell door and yelling that he wanted to see the Luietenant RIGHT NOW and demanded I make him come see him. And on and on he went as I left the tier to finish my walk. When I finished walking my count, I proceeded to the Luietenants' office and informed him that he was to stop what he was doing and IMMEDIATELY go talk to that inmate. We had a good laugh over it and moved on.
This inmate is going to be a pain in the ass, we can already tell. Last night he started to sheet up his cell. This is when an inmate covers the front of their cell with their blankets or sheets so the officer in control center can't see into their cell. An officer went in and was able to reason (read as, threaten) with him and get him to take them down. I suspect we will be dealing with this clown a lot over the next month or two.
I guess while I am telling stories, I should tell the one from last weeks count. I had forgotten about it until I wrote this. I was counting in B unit, and as I got to the last section (there are 3 sections in each unti) an inmate started making cat calls and whistling at me and just being an idiot in general. The Corporal was in the office of the unit as I finished, and I warned him I was going to stir the shit in section 3. He just looked at me and asked "Why do you have to stir up MY unit?" I just grinned at him and walked back out to section 3 and said loud enough for all to hear, "I don't know what you are yelling and whistling at me for. I read your chrono's (these are comments and information in our computer about the inmates crimes and their behavior since being inside) and from what I can see, I am the right sex, but about 35 years too old for you to be interested in me." That worked, the whole tier started ripping on the guy and giving him hell. I just grinned and went on to the next unit to continue my count, as the Corporal stood shaking his head.
Sometimes you just gotta make your own entertainment.
In other news, I guess they had another fight just outside the dining room last night at dinner time. I didn't hear any details about what it was about or who it involved. It sure seems like we are having an awful lot of fights lately, and this usually doesn't happen until summer gets here and people are hot and grumpy. It might be an interesting year.
It has been pretty quiet for the most part.
Did have a funny one when I did count the other night. There is a new inmate that was brought in to A unit. This is the unit where guys that first come into the building go. This guy started hollering at me as soon as I got on the tier wanting me to come to the front of his cell and talk to him. I told him I was doing count, and if he wanted to talk to do it while I was walking. He proceeded to yell out to tell me he wasn't a rape-o or anything and he wanted to be treated better. He wanted a pillow, he wanted a cell with running water, (He is in a water controlled cell), he wanted a better cell in general, he wanted to go to population, and on and on and on. He continued to rant the whole time I was walking the tier. As I finished and was walking out I looked at him and told him I don't know why he is telling ME all this, I am not the guy in a position to make it happen for him. THAT was it. He nutted up and started kicking his cell door and yelling that he wanted to see the Luietenant RIGHT NOW and demanded I make him come see him. And on and on he went as I left the tier to finish my walk. When I finished walking my count, I proceeded to the Luietenants' office and informed him that he was to stop what he was doing and IMMEDIATELY go talk to that inmate. We had a good laugh over it and moved on.
This inmate is going to be a pain in the ass, we can already tell. Last night he started to sheet up his cell. This is when an inmate covers the front of their cell with their blankets or sheets so the officer in control center can't see into their cell. An officer went in and was able to reason (read as, threaten) with him and get him to take them down. I suspect we will be dealing with this clown a lot over the next month or two.
I guess while I am telling stories, I should tell the one from last weeks count. I had forgotten about it until I wrote this. I was counting in B unit, and as I got to the last section (there are 3 sections in each unti) an inmate started making cat calls and whistling at me and just being an idiot in general. The Corporal was in the office of the unit as I finished, and I warned him I was going to stir the shit in section 3. He just looked at me and asked "Why do you have to stir up MY unit?" I just grinned at him and walked back out to section 3 and said loud enough for all to hear, "I don't know what you are yelling and whistling at me for. I read your chrono's (these are comments and information in our computer about the inmates crimes and their behavior since being inside) and from what I can see, I am the right sex, but about 35 years too old for you to be interested in me." That worked, the whole tier started ripping on the guy and giving him hell. I just grinned and went on to the next unit to continue my count, as the Corporal stood shaking his head.
Sometimes you just gotta make your own entertainment.
In other news, I guess they had another fight just outside the dining room last night at dinner time. I didn't hear any details about what it was about or who it involved. It sure seems like we are having an awful lot of fights lately, and this usually doesn't happen until summer gets here and people are hot and grumpy. It might be an interesting year.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
February 22nd
Not much to report today. It was a pretty routine quiet night for me.
It appears we have lost another staff member. According to the rumor mill, he lost his temper with his girlfriend and grabbed her by the throat and threatned her. He was arrested, and will now lose his certification and will no longer be able to work for any sort of law enforcement in the state of Oregon. The guy had like 10 years in and pissed it away over what? a stupid argument with his girlfriend? What a waste, and he was a good officer. This is all of course just the talk, so it may not play out exactly as I have heard so far, but he is definately banned from entering the institution until further notice, so obviously something happened.
It appears we have lost another staff member. According to the rumor mill, he lost his temper with his girlfriend and grabbed her by the throat and threatned her. He was arrested, and will now lose his certification and will no longer be able to work for any sort of law enforcement in the state of Oregon. The guy had like 10 years in and pissed it away over what? a stupid argument with his girlfriend? What a waste, and he was a good officer. This is all of course just the talk, so it may not play out exactly as I have heard so far, but he is definately banned from entering the institution until further notice, so obviously something happened.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
February 21st
I guess I have slipped a bit and it has been a while since my last post.
There hasn't been a whole lot going on, at least for me, at work the last couple weeks. It has been pretty much the same old routine. It has been a little different in general population this last week though.
On Tuesday the 13th they had a fight in the dining room during the noon meal. This fight was between an African-American inmate and a Caucasian inmate. It appears that there was quite a bit of racial tension when this happened.
Then that evening there was a fight between 2 Hispanic inmates in D block. These inmates had just been recently released from IMU. They did not respond when staff arrived and ordered them to stop fighting. They did not respond and break apart even after OC spray was used, and staff had to intervene and physically pull them apart.
Because we have had an increasing number of incidents such as this, the administration slowed things down once again for several days. They limited the number of areas they allowed out to the yard at one time, and slowed the running of meals to limit the number of inmates out at one time. As of the time I am writing this, things should be back to normal schedule. I have been on my weekend for the last four days, so who knows what has happened while I was gone.
There hasn't been a whole lot going on, at least for me, at work the last couple weeks. It has been pretty much the same old routine. It has been a little different in general population this last week though.
On Tuesday the 13th they had a fight in the dining room during the noon meal. This fight was between an African-American inmate and a Caucasian inmate. It appears that there was quite a bit of racial tension when this happened.
Then that evening there was a fight between 2 Hispanic inmates in D block. These inmates had just been recently released from IMU. They did not respond when staff arrived and ordered them to stop fighting. They did not respond and break apart even after OC spray was used, and staff had to intervene and physically pull them apart.
Because we have had an increasing number of incidents such as this, the administration slowed things down once again for several days. They limited the number of areas they allowed out to the yard at one time, and slowed the running of meals to limit the number of inmates out at one time. As of the time I am writing this, things should be back to normal schedule. I have been on my weekend for the last four days, so who knows what has happened while I was gone.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
February 7th
Well, grab yerself a cup'o'joe and kick back. This is gonna be a long ass post.
For starters, I will explain what IMU (Intensive Management Unit) is, since that is my new post starting this week. IMU is a prison within the prison.
When Inmates break rules they get sanctioned time in our DSU (Disciplinary Segregation Unit). This is basically a jail within the prison. They are locked down for most of the day, but do get to walk on the tier 5 days a week, and go to a secure outside yard, weather permitting. They don't get these privileges if they are on LOP (Loss Of Privileges). So if they break a rule they go to DSU. If they continue breaking rules and keep getting sent to DSU, OR the rule they broke was severe enough, like an assault on another inmate or staff for example, they get sanctioned to up to 180 days in DSU. Then they get sent to IMU. DSU is a disciplinary process and they can only be kept there a maximum of 180 days. IMU is a program unit, and they can be kept there pretty much indefinitely until they decide to do the program assigned to them so they can get out and be placed back in GP (General Population).
So IMU is a maximum lock down unit. They are kept locked up except to go to an inside yard area 5 days a week for 30 minutes. Then they get a 15 minute shower and go back to their cell. The only other time they get out is if they have school or a program to go to, or a visit. The amount of visits they can receive is cut back as well. When they do come out of their cells, they are always handcuffed with a set of cuffs that have a tether attached, and there are always at least 2 staff with that inmate. It is a very controlled, secure area. IMU is made up of 4 pods, or units. The inmates are housed in a different unit depending on how well they are doing and the progress of their program. The exception is C unit, which is where death row inmates are housed. This is one of the more stressful areas to work, because we get the inmates that can't behave in GP and are often the most disruptive and violent. We are not allowed to work in this unit for more than 2 years at a time. After that we have to bid out of the unit for at least 1 bid (6 months) to get away from the high stress environment for a while. The same 2 year rule applies to DSU.
Now the other thing different about IMU is that we work 12 hour shifts there. It is the only part of the prison with this sort of shift. It is a 3 week cycle. For 2 weeks we work 3 days on and 4 days off, and the 3rd week we work 4 days on and 3 days off. If you do the math, that equals out to 120 hours in the 3 week cycle, the same as doing 8 hour shifts 5 days a week.
Our work weeks run from Sunday to Saturday. Because my old post I had Friday and Saturday's off, my weekend was at the end of the week. When I bid the new post in IMU I bid a post that I work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights (From 0600 pm to 0600 am). Then on my long week I go in a day early and work Tuesday night as well. So I have Saturday, Sunday, Monday and 2 of every 3 Tuesday's off. Putting this together, I was looking at having a nice 6 day weekend going into the new bid. You with me still? That would have been Thursday (I got off work Thursday morning at 0800 am on the old post) Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday night, and I would then go in Wednesday night at 0600 pm.
So I was sitting at home last night, planning on enjoying my last night of freedom before having to go back in to work tonight. At about 0605 pm my cell phone rang. I answer it and it is the swingshift lieutenant in IMU. The conversation goes something like this.
"So, Gary, were you planning on coming to work tonight?"
"Um, no, wasn't planning on it."
"Well, you're on the boards for tonight."
"What?!? I don't come in until Wednesday night."
"Well, this is Wednesday nights board. It is Tuesday night, but it is considered 1st shift (graveyard) so you are on tonight."
"I know how the boards work, I have worked 1st shift for a long time. But my post is actually Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which is actually 0600 pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I only come in on Tuesday nights on my lo......
(Now at this point, with the Goddess as my witness, I SWEAR you could actually see a light bulb flicker to life above my head!)
....Aww SHIT lieutenant, what week are you guys on out there?"
(You see, the 3 week rotation doesn't re-set at the beginning of each bid. It just keeps cycling through.)
"Well, according to the board this is week 3."
"SON-OF-A-BITCH!! This IS my long week. I'll jump in the shower, get dressed and get there as soon as I can."
Ohhhh yeahhhhh, guess who was supposed to be at work by 0600 pm last night. So by the time I shower, get dressed and get to work it is 0730 pm. (I live about 45 miles from work, so it is almost an hour drive) Fortunately, the guy I was supposed to relieve at 0600 pm, decided that I could just pay him back the time instead of getting burned for being late. The lieutenant said that was ok with him, so now on my next long week, I gotta go in a couple hours early to pay him back for covering for me until I got in last night. What a great way to start the new bid.
Whew! WHAT?!? I warned you it was gonna be a long ass post.
Ok, one other thing to report. Apparently they had a pretty busy day on Monday, the 5th. They had 4 different fights during the day involving different groups of inmates. The first 2 happened within 11 minutes of each other in the dining room during lunch time. The first one involved 3 Hispanic inmates. The second one involved 6 African American inmates. The third one happened a couple hours later as the inmates were returning from the recreation yard back to the housing units. It involved an African American and a Caucasian inmate. The fourth was about 5 hours later in the evening and happened by the inmate's canteen exit door. At least three of the four fights are believed to be gang related, but they are all still under investigation.
Because of these fights, the line movements of inmates (including meals) was slowed down Tuesday to allow staff to better observe and control the inmates that were out at different times throughout the day. It sounds like everything went ok, but tensions will probably be running high, so it may be pretty volatile for a while.
OK, that is enough for now. I need sleep.
For starters, I will explain what IMU (Intensive Management Unit) is, since that is my new post starting this week. IMU is a prison within the prison.
When Inmates break rules they get sanctioned time in our DSU (Disciplinary Segregation Unit). This is basically a jail within the prison. They are locked down for most of the day, but do get to walk on the tier 5 days a week, and go to a secure outside yard, weather permitting. They don't get these privileges if they are on LOP (Loss Of Privileges). So if they break a rule they go to DSU. If they continue breaking rules and keep getting sent to DSU, OR the rule they broke was severe enough, like an assault on another inmate or staff for example, they get sanctioned to up to 180 days in DSU. Then they get sent to IMU. DSU is a disciplinary process and they can only be kept there a maximum of 180 days. IMU is a program unit, and they can be kept there pretty much indefinitely until they decide to do the program assigned to them so they can get out and be placed back in GP (General Population).
So IMU is a maximum lock down unit. They are kept locked up except to go to an inside yard area 5 days a week for 30 minutes. Then they get a 15 minute shower and go back to their cell. The only other time they get out is if they have school or a program to go to, or a visit. The amount of visits they can receive is cut back as well. When they do come out of their cells, they are always handcuffed with a set of cuffs that have a tether attached, and there are always at least 2 staff with that inmate. It is a very controlled, secure area. IMU is made up of 4 pods, or units. The inmates are housed in a different unit depending on how well they are doing and the progress of their program. The exception is C unit, which is where death row inmates are housed. This is one of the more stressful areas to work, because we get the inmates that can't behave in GP and are often the most disruptive and violent. We are not allowed to work in this unit for more than 2 years at a time. After that we have to bid out of the unit for at least 1 bid (6 months) to get away from the high stress environment for a while. The same 2 year rule applies to DSU.
Now the other thing different about IMU is that we work 12 hour shifts there. It is the only part of the prison with this sort of shift. It is a 3 week cycle. For 2 weeks we work 3 days on and 4 days off, and the 3rd week we work 4 days on and 3 days off. If you do the math, that equals out to 120 hours in the 3 week cycle, the same as doing 8 hour shifts 5 days a week.
Our work weeks run from Sunday to Saturday. Because my old post I had Friday and Saturday's off, my weekend was at the end of the week. When I bid the new post in IMU I bid a post that I work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights (From 0600 pm to 0600 am). Then on my long week I go in a day early and work Tuesday night as well. So I have Saturday, Sunday, Monday and 2 of every 3 Tuesday's off. Putting this together, I was looking at having a nice 6 day weekend going into the new bid. You with me still? That would have been Thursday (I got off work Thursday morning at 0800 am on the old post) Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday night, and I would then go in Wednesday night at 0600 pm.
So I was sitting at home last night, planning on enjoying my last night of freedom before having to go back in to work tonight. At about 0605 pm my cell phone rang. I answer it and it is the swingshift lieutenant in IMU. The conversation goes something like this.
"So, Gary, were you planning on coming to work tonight?"
"Um, no, wasn't planning on it."
"Well, you're on the boards for tonight."
"What?!? I don't come in until Wednesday night."
"Well, this is Wednesday nights board. It is Tuesday night, but it is considered 1st shift (graveyard) so you are on tonight."
"I know how the boards work, I have worked 1st shift for a long time. But my post is actually Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which is actually 0600 pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I only come in on Tuesday nights on my lo......
(Now at this point, with the Goddess as my witness, I SWEAR you could actually see a light bulb flicker to life above my head!)
....Aww SHIT lieutenant, what week are you guys on out there?"
(You see, the 3 week rotation doesn't re-set at the beginning of each bid. It just keeps cycling through.)
"Well, according to the board this is week 3."
"SON-OF-A-BITCH!! This IS my long week. I'll jump in the shower, get dressed and get there as soon as I can."
Ohhhh yeahhhhh, guess who was supposed to be at work by 0600 pm last night. So by the time I shower, get dressed and get to work it is 0730 pm. (I live about 45 miles from work, so it is almost an hour drive) Fortunately, the guy I was supposed to relieve at 0600 pm, decided that I could just pay him back the time instead of getting burned for being late. The lieutenant said that was ok with him, so now on my next long week, I gotta go in a couple hours early to pay him back for covering for me until I got in last night. What a great way to start the new bid.
Whew! WHAT?!? I warned you it was gonna be a long ass post.
Ok, one other thing to report. Apparently they had a pretty busy day on Monday, the 5th. They had 4 different fights during the day involving different groups of inmates. The first 2 happened within 11 minutes of each other in the dining room during lunch time. The first one involved 3 Hispanic inmates. The second one involved 6 African American inmates. The third one happened a couple hours later as the inmates were returning from the recreation yard back to the housing units. It involved an African American and a Caucasian inmate. The fourth was about 5 hours later in the evening and happened by the inmate's canteen exit door. At least three of the four fights are believed to be gang related, but they are all still under investigation.
Because of these fights, the line movements of inmates (including meals) was slowed down Tuesday to allow staff to better observe and control the inmates that were out at different times throughout the day. It sounds like everything went ok, but tensions will probably be running high, so it may be pretty volatile for a while.
OK, that is enough for now. I need sleep.
Monday, January 29, 2007
January 29th
Quiet shift again last night. Then at about 11:00pm my partner called me on the radio and told me the boss wanted to know if I wanted to work 3 tower for the dayshift. sigh. Did I WANT to, not really, but it is sure hard to pass up easy overtime like that, so I did it. SO after 8 hours of driving and watching alarms, I spent another 8 in a tower watching traffic go around the corner of the wall.
It is an easy post, all I have to do is write down license plate numbers of vehicles that go around the back of the institution. Despite it being an easy one, it sure makes a long day. Nothing looks better after 16 hours at work than seeing your relief coming down the wall at you.
Interesting side note. While on the wall in the tower today, one of our maintenance guys came up to look at a problem in 5 tower. Each of the towers has an intercom system in it, so as he passed each tower, we would alert the next tower by saying, "Hey 4 tower, you have that red hat coming your way headed to 5 tower". As the red hat was leaving and we were calling him back off the wall, I got on the intercom and asked everyone if maybe they thoguht it was time to give the maintenance people a new name. It has been a good 10 years since anyone has SEEN a red hat. You see, the maintenance guys used to all wear red baseball hats at work. Because security staff didn't work around these guys that much, not many of them got to learn their names. So they were called "red hats". After some banter and seriously politically incorrect ideas, it was decided we would just stick with calling them red hats.
Well, I got a great 4 hours sleep, time to go back for more. Until tomorrow...
It is an easy post, all I have to do is write down license plate numbers of vehicles that go around the back of the institution. Despite it being an easy one, it sure makes a long day. Nothing looks better after 16 hours at work than seeing your relief coming down the wall at you.
Interesting side note. While on the wall in the tower today, one of our maintenance guys came up to look at a problem in 5 tower. Each of the towers has an intercom system in it, so as he passed each tower, we would alert the next tower by saying, "Hey 4 tower, you have that red hat coming your way headed to 5 tower". As the red hat was leaving and we were calling him back off the wall, I got on the intercom and asked everyone if maybe they thoguht it was time to give the maintenance people a new name. It has been a good 10 years since anyone has SEEN a red hat. You see, the maintenance guys used to all wear red baseball hats at work. Because security staff didn't work around these guys that much, not many of them got to learn their names. So they were called "red hats". After some banter and seriously politically incorrect ideas, it was decided we would just stick with calling them red hats.
Well, I got a great 4 hours sleep, time to go back for more. Until tomorrow...
Sunday, January 28, 2007
January 28th
Nothing exciting last night. Just another night of driving in circles, then watching a moniter.
Getting cold as hell at night again though. They said it was going to be in the high 20's, and it definatly felt like it got there last night.
Getting cold as hell at night again though. They said it was going to be in the high 20's, and it definatly felt like it got there last night.
Friday, January 26, 2007
January 26th
I thought I would post and clarify a few things.
On my current post at work, I work mobile unit 4 days a week, and the dining room the last night. Mobile patrol is just that, I spend 4 hours a night in a dodge truck driving around the outside perimeter of the institution. This is an armed post, we have a shotgun rack and a .38 (yes, Smith and Wesson .38 revolver) sidearm. Just this year we got funding for Glocks, but they won't bring them online until everyone has gone through training for them, meaning the end of this year. The other 4 hours I trade out with my partner and go inside the master control center, where we moniter the perimeter alarms.
The dining room night is just that, inside the dining room. There is not much going on until we run the first kitchen workers at 03:15am. They start preparing the morning meal at that time. Then at 05:00am the dining room workers come out and eat before mainline starts breakfast. Mainline breakfast starts at 05:30am, and usually takes close to 2 hours to feed. Then cleanup starts and they start making lunch.
Now all of this will change after next week when I start my new post. We bid new posts according to seniority every 6 months. The next bid I will be going back to our Intensive Management Unit. I will post more on this once I have made the switch after next week.
A fogline is called when it gets so foggy that visibility is down enough 10 tower (which sits in the middle of the institution) can't see 5 tower (which is on the east wall). When fogline is called by the officer in charge (or OIC), 2 people are assigned as wall walkers. These 2 people carry Ruger Mini 14's and walk the catwalk on the wall. The OIC may also (and usually does unless the fog is fairly light) have mobile continue driving the perimeter until fogline is lifted.
On my current post at work, I work mobile unit 4 days a week, and the dining room the last night. Mobile patrol is just that, I spend 4 hours a night in a dodge truck driving around the outside perimeter of the institution. This is an armed post, we have a shotgun rack and a .38 (yes, Smith and Wesson .38 revolver) sidearm. Just this year we got funding for Glocks, but they won't bring them online until everyone has gone through training for them, meaning the end of this year. The other 4 hours I trade out with my partner and go inside the master control center, where we moniter the perimeter alarms.
The dining room night is just that, inside the dining room. There is not much going on until we run the first kitchen workers at 03:15am. They start preparing the morning meal at that time. Then at 05:00am the dining room workers come out and eat before mainline starts breakfast. Mainline breakfast starts at 05:30am, and usually takes close to 2 hours to feed. Then cleanup starts and they start making lunch.
Now all of this will change after next week when I start my new post. We bid new posts according to seniority every 6 months. The next bid I will be going back to our Intensive Management Unit. I will post more on this once I have made the switch after next week.
A fogline is called when it gets so foggy that visibility is down enough 10 tower (which sits in the middle of the institution) can't see 5 tower (which is on the east wall). When fogline is called by the officer in charge (or OIC), 2 people are assigned as wall walkers. These 2 people carry Ruger Mini 14's and walk the catwalk on the wall. The OIC may also (and usually does unless the fog is fairly light) have mobile continue driving the perimeter until fogline is lifted.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
January 24th
Well, it was just a normal night for me last night. UNTIL about 03:00am when the fog rolled in so thick you couldn't see 100 feet. A fog line was called and I ended up driving until it finally lifted enough for them to call it off at 09:30am. Made for an easy 4 hours of overtime.
It was just as well, I had ridden my Goldwing to work last night. It got colder than they said it was going to last night, and with the fog rolling in, there was talk of some icy areas on the roads. They were fine by the time I got out of there and headed home, but it was a chilly ride home.
The disciplinary unit was busy last night. Just before I got to work at 09:00pm the entire second tier flooded out. This is when they plug their toilets with clothing or bedding and then repeatedly flush so they overflow and dump water all over the place. This was in response to the staff doing shack downs on the tier earlier. Just their way of saying they weren't happy about it. There was a nifty, cleverly made tattoo gun found during the shake down. I saw it when they put it in the evidence locker. It was a pretty good one. Inmates can get pretty creative when they have nothing better to do all day.
It was just as well, I had ridden my Goldwing to work last night. It got colder than they said it was going to last night, and with the fog rolling in, there was talk of some icy areas on the roads. They were fine by the time I got out of there and headed home, but it was a chilly ride home.
The disciplinary unit was busy last night. Just before I got to work at 09:00pm the entire second tier flooded out. This is when they plug their toilets with clothing or bedding and then repeatedly flush so they overflow and dump water all over the place. This was in response to the staff doing shack downs on the tier earlier. Just their way of saying they weren't happy about it. There was a nifty, cleverly made tattoo gun found during the shake down. I saw it when they put it in the evidence locker. It was a pretty good one. Inmates can get pretty creative when they have nothing better to do all day.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
January 23rd
Pretty normal night last night.
We got one more of the inmates from the fight at OSCI last night. This guy is in a wheel chair, but I guess he is the one that started the whole thing. From what I have been told, he pulled something off his wheelchair and started flailing it at a rival gang member. Perhaps we should take his wheelchair and let him drag himself around, he may be less inclined to start shit that way.
We got one more of the inmates from the fight at OSCI last night. This guy is in a wheel chair, but I guess he is the one that started the whole thing. From what I have been told, he pulled something off his wheelchair and started flailing it at a rival gang member. Perhaps we should take his wheelchair and let him drag himself around, he may be less inclined to start shit that way.
Monday, January 22, 2007
January 22nd
I guess it is time for some catch up.
Last week on my Friday, which would be Wednesday night, I worked 12:00am to 08:00am.
This is the night I kind of get screwed, since the rest of my week is 09:00pm to 05:30am. So I got doubly screwed, thanks to a lieutenant. If one of the other guys that drive mobile on my Friday call in or have the night off, it is general practice that I get called and offered the post for the night. Instead, this lieutenant called someone else in, and screwed me over. It is things like this that have such a negative impact on moral. They act like it's no big deal, just get over it, but it is a big deal to us and it shows the indifference management feels towards the people who are actually in the trenches doing the work.
Last Saturday there was a large fight between two Mexican gang factions at one of the medium facilities. It involved as many as 30 inmates. Three staff had minor injuries from getting it broke up. We got 16 of the involved inmates transported to us that evening at about 10:00pm.
Then last night they brought over 3 more of them. We now have the majority of the players. We are all just wondering now how long it will be before they get word to their "homies" and we have a flare up at our institution. A lot of us, myself included, figure by this weekend something is going to go down. As long as everyone remains vigilant and paying attention to what is going on around them, we should be able to quickly control it when it does.
Last week on my Friday, which would be Wednesday night, I worked 12:00am to 08:00am.
This is the night I kind of get screwed, since the rest of my week is 09:00pm to 05:30am. So I got doubly screwed, thanks to a lieutenant. If one of the other guys that drive mobile on my Friday call in or have the night off, it is general practice that I get called and offered the post for the night. Instead, this lieutenant called someone else in, and screwed me over. It is things like this that have such a negative impact on moral. They act like it's no big deal, just get over it, but it is a big deal to us and it shows the indifference management feels towards the people who are actually in the trenches doing the work.
Last Saturday there was a large fight between two Mexican gang factions at one of the medium facilities. It involved as many as 30 inmates. Three staff had minor injuries from getting it broke up. We got 16 of the involved inmates transported to us that evening at about 10:00pm.
Then last night they brought over 3 more of them. We now have the majority of the players. We are all just wondering now how long it will be before they get word to their "homies" and we have a flare up at our institution. A lot of us, myself included, figure by this weekend something is going to go down. As long as everyone remains vigilant and paying attention to what is going on around them, we should be able to quickly control it when it does.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
January 17th
Another uneventful night. It was kind of fun driving around the perimeter last night. There was still some snow and ice down the north side of the institution. You could goose the gas a little and the tires would spin. It's the simple things that keep you going.
Fortunatly, the roads didn't freeze back up, so the commute home was pretty much a normal drive.
Fortunatly, the roads didn't freeze back up, so the commute home was pretty much a normal drive.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
January 16th
Another quiet night. An inmate died at about 7:00 am yesterday morning, he was old and they were expecting it.
Had freezing rain starting at about 5:00 am this morning, just half an hour before I get off, so by the time I got out of there the roads were terrible. My normally 45 minute commute took about an hour and a half this morning.
Had freezing rain starting at about 5:00 am this morning, just half an hour before I get off, so by the time I got out of there the roads were terrible. My normally 45 minute commute took about an hour and a half this morning.
Monday, January 15, 2007
January 15th
Pulled into work last night to see the red flashing lights of a firetruck, and an ambulance pulled into the sallyport. Usually not a great sign when you first get to work.
In this case it wasn't too bad, just an inmate with bad kidney's or something and they were taking him to the hospital.
Quiet night for me other than that, but I did get off late. One of our tower people hadn't showed up on time. I can't leave until all the towers are manned, so I got to stick around until the boss finally pulled someone and had them go to that tower until we heard from the person that was assigned there.
They may have overslept. They may have also very well had the day off and someone forgot to take them off the boards for that day. That seems to happen quite a bit. Oh well, I finally got out of there about 10 minutes late.
In this case it wasn't too bad, just an inmate with bad kidney's or something and they were taking him to the hospital.
Quiet night for me other than that, but I did get off late. One of our tower people hadn't showed up on time. I can't leave until all the towers are manned, so I got to stick around until the boss finally pulled someone and had them go to that tower until we heard from the person that was assigned there.
They may have overslept. They may have also very well had the day off and someone forgot to take them off the boards for that day. That seems to happen quite a bit. Oh well, I finally got out of there about 10 minutes late.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
January 11th
I decided to start this blog for several reasons.
One was to have a place to rant, blow off steam and in general voice my opinion as a stress release valve for some of the crap that happens at work.
Another is just to have a place to leave the stories that people always ask about when they hear I work in a prison. People often find it interesting, fascinating, horrific, amusing and scary, and sometimes it is all of the above. Other times it is little more than a pain in the ass.
So it begins. I am not sure yet if I will try to update after each workday, or perhaps just a "week in review" sort of thing. I guess I will just try it out and see how it develops.
One was to have a place to rant, blow off steam and in general voice my opinion as a stress release valve for some of the crap that happens at work.
Another is just to have a place to leave the stories that people always ask about when they hear I work in a prison. People often find it interesting, fascinating, horrific, amusing and scary, and sometimes it is all of the above. Other times it is little more than a pain in the ass.
So it begins. I am not sure yet if I will try to update after each workday, or perhaps just a "week in review" sort of thing. I guess I will just try it out and see how it develops.
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