I was library officer. The library is in the school building,
which also houses Jeff Town, our television production studio.
Jerry, a Jeff Town worker, asked if I wanted a cup of coffee.
I said, "Sure." My desk faces the entrance way. There are
windows on either side of the door. I looked at the clock,
10:28. Rec was returning. As I took my first sip of
coffee, I glanced through the window toward housing unit 3A&B. A
group of inmates were nearing the steps. Someone threw a
punch. Before I realized it, my radio was in my hand and I
called a "10-49", (fight), and gave the location, which is very
important if you want some help. Starling, the librarian,
several inmates and I all went to the door. By this time there
were at least three fights going on. I thought I was stuck
at the library, since we are not supposed to leave our assigned
posts unattended, but Starling said, "If you want to go, lock
the door and go!" I said ,"Bye," shut the door, and was off at a
run. COs had been pouring in from all directions. Someone
had called a "10-5", (officer needs assistance), and someone
radioed, "We need some help out here, people!"
Officers were separating fighters everywhere I looked.
The CO in front of me pulled one guy off of a white shirt who
was on the ground pinning another fighter. There were very
few handcuffs showing, so I thought I might get some at round
gate. Inside control center lobby, an inmate being escorted by a
Sgt. threw a punch and knocked him down, but the Sgt. took him
down with him. I asked if he needed help and he said to go help
them outside. A fight broke out in the hallway leading to the no
contact visiting area where we were locking some up. Two
officers shoved one guy up against the wall and subdued him. One
young guy was unattended, so I stood by him. A hallway porter
was standing at the door of a utility closet in front of me, his
eyes as big as saucers. I asked what house he was out of. He
said, "Six." I pointed to the door and said, "Go!" He went,
happily. Someone came along and handcuffed the guy I was
watching, so I went back outside. The fighters were being
escorted to where ever we had open holding cells. I helped
escort two to cells by OPC, (Outpatient Clinic).While going back
to the upper lawn, A few guys I knew from the visiting room were
being led off. Told them they should have gone on a visit
instead.
There were several heroics. A Four House officer tackled an
inmate who was running to attack a CO who had his back to him,
securing another fighter. The inmate's legs came in contact with
the fence rail around the chapel lawn, and over they went,
landing on the ground. A female officer got hit by one whom she
promptly knocked out.
Order was restored very quickly. When I got back to the
library, my coffee was still hot.
Control Center called a "Code 60", total institutional lock
down. I cleared the library and Jeff Town of all visitors and
workers, secured all doors and left the building to Starling. I
went to the Captain's office, where I quickly filled out the
paperwork detailing the little bit that I had done during the
"incident." We locked up over twenty-five fighters.
I went to Three House and helped get the fighters' belongings
to the property room.
The Captain sent half of the officers to 5-C, the super max
unit, to escort inmates. A bus came in and took a bunch from
3-C, an ad. seg unit, and took them to a different institution.
The 5-C guys were moved to 3-C and the fighters were locked up
in super max. Musical inmates.
I got out of there at three-thirty, not bad at all. God, I
love this job!
Saturday it was business as usual in the visiting room,
except 3 house was locked down and all their visits were no
contact, which is a royal pain.
Sunday was a different story. I started early and helped in
Round Gate, operating the sliding barred doors that all officers
have to pass through entering or leaving. When I finished, it
was still too early for visits, so I went down the ramp to the
main inmate dining hall. It got close to visiting time, so I
went back up the ramp to the main corridor. Someone called a
10-49 in the dining hall, so back I ran. They ten-sixed it,
(situation under control),so I turned around. Two officers were
escorting one fighter, a big, tall guy.I was behind them. As he
neared the Med window, he increased his speed. This guy has some
long legs! He shouted, "I'll get you, too!", at someone in line
for meds. The two escorting officers ran to get ahead of him and
block his progress and I put him in a wrist lock from behind. We
put him in the holding cage in dress out without further
trouble. I went to the Captain's office to get a "Use of Force"
report, but I didn't see any. I asked the Captain where they
were. He asked, "Who had a use of force?"
I said that I did. He asked what I did and I told him. I was
a little shaky from an adrenalin rush and he asked if I was
okay. I said I was fine, just out of breath. Got the "Incident"
report that replaces "Use of Force".
I asked my Sgt; "How the hell do you say that you put a guy
in a wrist lock to put him in a "come along", but the sob was so
tall, you would have needed a step ladder?"
She said, "Well, you definitely don't say that!"
Visits began and it was same old, same old. At lunch, I wrote
a rough draft of my report and did the final copy in the
Captain's office. He read it and said, "Very good." It is
unusual for them to ok a report on the first try because they
have to be quite precise, as they may be used in evidence in
court. One of the other COs had to write his five times. I felt
like a kid that got a gold star on his homework.
It snowed heavily that night so I got up early because the
roads would be bad. I walked to my car. My drive was is a tenth
of a mile long. Every door was frozen shut. I walked back to the
house and called work to say I would be late and then went back
to bed. When the sun came up, I managed to get the driver's side
open and off I went. The roads were slick and I had to take my
time. I clocked in at 10:15 and reported to the Captain. 3 A&B
was still locked down. He sent me there to help feed. An "A"
side officer and I picked up five toilet paper boxes each
containing fifty bag lunches at the main kitchen. You have to
lug these boxes up to the various walks and pass out a bag to
each inmate. By the time you reach 7-8 walks, you know you have
done something. When I finished helping feed A side, I went to B
side. They were pretty much done, but I went up to see if I
could help. The inmates were not pleased. Their bologna had a
first name, a middle name, a last name and several other names,
none of which are printable. I was on 4 walk when I noticed a
fairly nice bonfire on the flag below. I radioed the Sgt; who
promptly put it out with a bucket of water. I thought, "This
might be a fun day after all!"
The inmates were throwing large amounts of trash on the flag
and then dropping lit newspapers from the top tier down to
ignite the whole mess. The walks are screened in, so you have to
admire their resourcefulness. We got the fire hoses and it was
soon out, leaving heaps of smoldering wet trash on both bottom
walks. We shoved it down by the office with push brooms and
filled a barrel. While I was operating a push broom. a stream of
water, (I hope!), landed on my head and shoulders from above,
causing mirth among the inmates who saw. Actually, I found it
rather refreshing- I was hot. I said, "That don't bother me
any."
(From up above), "Wha'd he say?"
(From the flag), "He say that don't bother him none!"
The water on the floor was a bigger problem.
Two officers mopped while an officer with a big squeegee
pushed water into my shovel. (Scooping it up is easier than
mopping it up!)
The officers always assigned to the unit compiled a list of
the trouble makers and those who had egged them on. At shift
change, about thirty officers came in with hand cuffs and
escorted the bad boys to the hole.
During the next week, the house was released from lock down
and things went smoothly, until two offenders got stabbed on
evening shift.
Two weeks to the day after the big fight,I was again in the
library. They had locked 3A&B down again on the previous night.
I, again, had a cup of coffee. As I glanced through the window,
I saw about a hundred and twenty E Squad members from various
institutions converging on the house. They all wore black
uniforms. It looked like a Japanese Ninja movie. From what I
hear, they searched the place thoroughly and came up with three
knives and locked up another half-dozen, or so.
This whole thing is probably gang related, a drug deal gone
bad, perhaps. The investigators will sort it out. Most of the
trouble makers are in the hole and things will return to old,
boring "normal". Boring, around here, is good, but I'll tell you
the truth- I've enjoyed the hell out of the last two weeks. If
someone had been seriously injured, or killed, I would feel
differently, but that didn't happen. I enjoy the excitement. It
was very inspiring to see so many people respond to an emergency
without regard to their personal safety, stopping what could
have turned into a major riot. I am so proud to wear this
uniform! I get to work with heroes every day.
