Originally Posted by
Bigguy
Here's my experience in the grand total of 4 months as a CO.
We took a 2 week class room class and were then issued a 12 month temporary jailers ID. (Before the year was out, were would go to "Jailers School" the week before taking the Jailer's exam.) The first 3 days after the class were supposed to be OJT where we to be with another CO. Didn't happen. My first night on the job I was put on a station by myself. There were 5 stations on that deck and there were 2 other COs working that deck that night.* So I did have experienced people within hollering distance.
My second night, there was a 10-10 (fight) at the station next t me. I hot footed it down there with about 5 other COs. We weren't supposed to enter the pod until rank (Sargeant and/or Lieutenant) showed up with video equipment, so we sat there and watched two guys wail on each other for what was probably only a couple of minutes, but felt like 30.
Finally the Sargeant shows up with a flunky holding the video camera. We all enter the pod and Sarge starts yelling "Get him down!" By this time one of the participants was trying to break off, but the other was pursuing him. I was the oldest, but greenest, guy in uniform so I thought I just stand back and let the more experienced COs take care of it, unless asked to intervene. None of the young bucks seemed willing to engage.
After the third new attack, with Sarge still screaming, I decided I was good to go. I pursued the aggressor, came up behind him and wrapped him up, pinning his arms at his side. I'm 64, Young buck was about 24. His arms had more muscles than my legs. I've never ridden a rodeo bull, but I've seen it on television. This felt what that looks like. Somewhere in a far off land I could hear Sarge yelling "Help him!"
I think it was 4 COs who finally converged on us and grabbed the guy's hands. We got hand restraints** on him and hauled him and the other inmate off to Seg (Segregation). I remember thinking, "Boy, this guy's in in trouble."
About 45 minutes later, I'm back at my station when the Bull I'd ridden was escorted past me on the way back to his pod. He gave me a $#!t eating grin as he passed. That was my first experience of inmates facing almost no consequences for their actions.
* One station consisted of 2 pods with a maximum of 24 inmates. No CO is ever supposed to be responsible for more than 48 inmates. Most nights the more experienced COs (been there 2 weeks) were given at least 2 stations, and I have worked 3. I've heard old timers talking about working an entire deck by themselves. The log we keep is a Government document. I first notated when I left one station for another, but was quickly told by rank to fill out each log as though I worked it with no mention of other posts. Those logs are "Government Documents." Not filling them out accurately is the felony of "Falsifying A Government Document." If the manure hits the ventilator at Station 3 while I'm actually at Station 4, my log will show that I was on station. Video will show otherwise. I'll need to explain why I didn't take appropriate action. I'll soon be on the other side of the bars.
** I learned to fill out reports (and God were there reports) in "Cop Speak." for example, if you face planted some MF and cuffed his @$$, the report would read, "Offender was place face down on the floor and hand restraints were applied." We never "cuffed" anybody.
Last note: I was making $11/hr working 12 hr night shifts with a required 36 hr/mo overtime. And you got a call every night you were off. God help you if you didn't come in on out of those. You'd get the $#!tt posts every night if you didn't. Often OT was suicide watch or Hospital duty, which was much easier than Alpha Deck." So, when I was offered a $15.00/hr job as day security at a public library (I'm and Indie author) you can bet I jumped on that.