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| Chief seeks to add cameras, dogs |
| By Washington Post |
| Published: 06/20/2006 |
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WASHINGTON, DC - The director of the D.C. Department of Corrections, responding to the recent escape of two inmates, announced plans last night to fortify the city jail in Southeast Washington and to notify area residents by phone, computer or text message of prison escapes. "Public safety is primary to all of us," director Devon Brown told about 50 people at a community meeting, some of whom expressed skepticism about his plans. "We understand the importance of being a good neighbor." The meeting at Payne Elementary School in Southeast Washington, hosted by D.C. Council members Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) and Sharon Ambrose (D-Ward 6), was called to address community concerns after the escape of Ricardo Jones, 25, and Joseph Leaks, 32. Using a floor-buffing machine to smash a window of the jail warden's unoccupied office and then sliding down a canopy, the pair broke out of the jail the morning of June 3 in one of the most audacious escapes in recent memory. The inmates -- one charged with murder, the other charged as an accessory in the slaying -- were captured the next day. Brown told the audience he plans to install more security cameras inside and outside the jail and to provide two dogs to help a corrections officer patrol the perimeter. He also talked about the need to assemble a younger workforce, saying the median age of corrections officers at the jail is 50. After the meeting, the Rev. Edward N. Cole, who recently retired as a chaplain at the jail, called Brown's plans "a big snow job." "No, it's not going to happen," Cole said, predicting: "As soon as things quiet down, this is not going to happen." Audience members also expressed concern about a siren that is supposed to sound when an inmate escapes. When asked last night who had heard the siren, no one raised a hand. Earlier, at least one person reported hearing the siren about seven hours after the escape. Last night, Brown said a corrections official at the jail showed him a log indicating that the siren had sounded. Nonetheless, he said, jail officials have upgraded the siren and plan weekly tests to make sure it is in working order. In addition to the siren, Brown said, he has arranged with Barbara Childs-Pair, director of the D.C. Emergency Management Agency, to send messages about escapes through Alert DC, a citywide text-warning system, and through a system that would leave recorded messages on phones in the neighborhood. While accepting responsibility for the escapes, Brown, who assumed the post in January, told the audience that "the problems with the jail did not start five months ago. Problems of that jail are endemic." Brown's proposal to recruit a younger workforce met with mixed reaction. "Why you putting it on [corrections officers]?" yelled the Rev. Anthony Motley. Afterward, Will Cobb, an area resident and D.C. Council candidate, said the escape and the aftermath showed the city is "still so ill-prepared" to deal with emergencies. He added: "I think this is a great step, but much more needs to be done." |
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