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| Inmates riot at Ariz. jail; 5 hurt |
| By The Daily Courier |
| Published: 10/10/2003 |
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Five inmates suffered injuries Wednesday during a 15-minute riot at the Camp Verde Jail. A Yavapai County Sheriff's Office (YCSO) report indicates that at around 1:45 p.m. nearly 180 inmates from three dormitories engaged in a fight. YCSO Capt. Scott Masher said that, although detectives are still investigating the incident, it appears that the riot was a planned uprising because it started simultaneously in three separate dorms. "It seems that it was racially motivated," he said. "It has probably been brewing for a few days. It appears that the white supremacist inmates as well as other nationalities began to have mixed feelings about each other and they fought." The five injured inmates, whom medical personnel took to the Verde Valley Medical Center, appear to have suffered only minor injuries to their hands, face and nose, he said. "None of these people were injured by our staff," he said. Mascher said that as soon as detention officers donned their riot gear and went to work to quell the riot, the inmates began to comply with their orders. "No detention officers were injured," he said. "As soon as they came into the dorms and gave orders to cease the fight, it did stop. Everybody then was locked down and medical (personnel) began to go through and assess each person for injuries." He said that before he had a chance to call the SWAT team out, the riot stopped. Jail staff didn't find any dangerous weapons among the combatants. Mascher said assaults at the Prescott and Camp Verde jails have been happening at least twice a week for a variety of reasons. "The base cause of all of this is overcrowding," he said. "It is not a very fun environment." He said that currently the inmate population is double the number of available beds at both jails. The YCSO report states that 285 inmates are currently at the Prescott jail, which has only 125 beds. The bed availability at Camp Verde Jail is at 174, with approximately the same inmate population. Mascher said the overcrowding problem will probably persist until Jan. 31, 2004, when the renovation and completion of the new Camp Verde jail will be complete. This month, however, some relief will arrive after a new pod with 120 beds opens up at the Camp Verde jail. |
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