Officer Safety
Officer Safety is a critical concern within correctional facilities, focusing on protecting staff from physical harm and ensuring a secure working environment. This directory provides articles and resources on best practices, training, and equipment that enhance the safety of correctional officers. Understanding the importance of officer safety helps develop strategies to mitigate risks and respond effectively to threats. For further insights, explore our section on Defensive Tactics.
When jails become overcrowded, it affects the safety of inmates, staff and visitors
Grab these first-responder-approved turkey fryers and related equipment
The inmate used a “metal homemade knife-type weapon” to stab the CO multiple times during the June attack at Broad River Correctional Institution
The Minnesota Department of Corrections mandate said the Hennepin County jail doesn’t have enough staff on duty and that it isn’t checking on inmates as often as it should
During the attack, two North Branch Correctional Institution corrections officers were stabbed; one CO suffered a laceration to the neck and was airlifted to a hospital
The Massachusetts Department of Youth Services corrections officer was leaving work when a group began “jumping on his car and banging on the windows”
In November 2023, the inmate punched an Allen County Jail corrections officer in the mouth, breaking the CO’s tooth
The union said prison violence is worsened by staffing shortages, with 33,516 inmates in state prisons but a total of 14,276 COs as of Nov. 1., the lowest level in two decades
Philadelphia’s jail population has dropped, with about 4,500 people now incarcerated — nearly half as many as in 2015, according to Pennsylvania Department of Prisons data
The Hillsborough County Detention Center deputy suffered a broken left orbital bone and a cut to his eye in the struggle with an inmate
Numerous correctional facilities nationwide report positive results after installing the VeroVision Mail Screener
From body cameras to healthcare access, the new year will bring key policy shifts to improve corrections operations
The increase would allow the Orleans Parish sheriff to raise the starting salary for deputies from $18.45 to $20 an hour, which is still less than the national average of $24 an hour
In March 2000, while COs at North Kern State Prison attempted to remove James Flores from his cell for an assault investigation, he stabbed one of the officers
The bill is named after former Capt. Robert Johnson, who was shot at home in 2010 after Lee Correctional Institution inmates used a contraband phone to order a hit
The robots act as a visible deterrent, equipped with 360-degree cameras, night vision, lights, heat detection and two-way audio, the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office said
Under the policy, staff and COs most likely to first encounter unknown substances are undergoing specialized training to “properly identify, handle and manage” the materials
Roy Booth used a metal pole from the weight room at MCI-Shirley “to relentlessly beat” Corrections Officer Matthew Tidman from behind, the Middlesex District Attorney said
Legislators called for the governor to start routine tactical searches, ensure swift prosecution of inmate assaults and establish monthly meetings with the COs’ union
One Western Correctional Institution CO was taken to a hospital by ambulance and six additional COs went to the hospital on their own after their shifts
From underestimating the sophistication of drone operations to failing to engage law enforcement or legislators, here are six critical errors prisons must avoid when addressing drone threats
The decision seeks to provide Lancaster County corrections officers additional rest to compensate them for working in hot, uncomfortable conditions
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Deputy Bradley McNew, who had just finished his shift, was shot after witnessing an armed man “violently throwing [a woman against a] vehicle” and trying to intervene
The weapon consisted of six sporks bound together with plastic wrap and an instant coffee wrapper; the Multnomah deputy was struck in the face but not severely injured
The current pace of change has left a dangerous situation in both adult and juvenile prisons across Maryland, employees and union leaders said
In March, COs transported an inmate to a Boise hospital for treatment of self-inflicted injuries; Nicholas Umphenour ambushed the COs from behind, wounding two
This review of the assault of officers at a maximum-security facility in Massachusetts offers vital lessons for preventing future attacks on correctional officers by inmates
The inmate, a confirmed MS-13 gang member, is one of four inmates charged with killing K-9 Rivan and assaulting a corrections officer at Sussex I State Prison
Each Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center inmate was charged with mayhem, armed assault to murder and assault to murder
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