Every year around this time, the corrections field recognizes the people who keep prisons afloat, inmates under control and society, as a whole, a safer place.  National Correctional Officers Week, which is being celebrated this year during the first week of May, is a time for COs and other corrections staff to take a bow for the hard work they do behind the walls of the nation's correctional facilities.

This past weekend in Washington, D.C. the International Association of Correctional Officers honored both its 2005 National Correctional Officer of the Year and Supervisor of the Year at an awards luncheon.  In January, the American Correctional Association named its Medal of Valor recipient at its winter conference.  In two weeks, the American Jail Association will follow suit, naming its Correctional Officer of the Year, at its annual Training Conference and Jail Expo.

While these individuals work in various capacities at different prisons and jails throughout the country, they share one common element: they are role models for corrections.  Each has a different story for how they found their way into corrections.  All say it is a career they are committed to for life.

Nick Klementowicz III, IACO's 2005 National Supervisor of the Year
Training Sergeant
Somerset County, N.J., Sheriff's Office

"Never quit in anything you do, whether it's working on a simple task or project, such as improving paperwork for intake in corrections, or [a bigger project, like] getting a tactical team ready to respond to a terrorist attack."

What does this award mean to you?

It's amazing that I am even receiving it.  What I think I have done in my career doesn't deserve national recognition.  Basically, I am a workaholic, whether I am doing side work, working construction or whatever, or working in the jail, I work incredibly hard.  It's just the way to work. I am basically speechless.  I don't really know what to say.  For me, the joy is actually in the work itself.  I get joy every time I come into work.

What do you do?

Basically, I am the training sergeant for the whole corrections staff, so I organize trainings for our officers and civilian staff.  It's all the mandatory training that we have to do.  I work with that. I am also the commander of the special response team (SRT) and the correctional response team (CRT).  The CRT does cell extractions, riot control and takes care of all emergencies inside the jail.  The SRT incorporates both the sheriff's officers and correctional officers.  We assist agencies on the outside.  We are responsible for courthouse security during high risk situations and high risk transports.  We help in warrant raids and riot control.  We are one of the few teams in the nation that is fully certified to operate in a weapons of mass destruction area.  We can go inside chemical or biological environments.  Those are basically my two main areas. 

I also help in any new projects that the sheriff and the warden come up with.  One example is Project Lifesaver, which puts radio transmitters on senior citizens with Alzheimer's [disease] and autistic children.  I also worked on a feasibility study for using canines when the sheriff first took office.  I also helped form the gang and terrorism intelligence unit.  As every institution is experiencing, we are starting to have a gang presence in our institution, so the sheriff and warden found it necessary to start a gang unit and I helped build that.

Who are you?

I have been with the agency for 10 years.  My first job was bas as a [U.S.] Marine.  From 1985 to 1989, I was in the Marine Corps.  While I was a Marine, I had an opportunity to guard [both] President Ronald Reagan and President George Bush.  What happened is, after that, I had had a lot of training in the Marine Corps and I wanted to get into a career that was exciting.  I became a bounty hunter for about four years.  I had over 450 arrests.  It was a great job, but it was a terrible career.  To be honest, I was getting older and I needed a more stable career. [Working in the] jail was perfect.  Once I started working in a jail, I found out that I loved it.  This is definitely a home for me.  I have enjoyed it ever since.

What do you do during your down time?

I like weightlifting, karate and I invest in real estate on the side.  I work 90-hour weeks.  I have a wife and a young boy who is three-and-a-half.  I cut down as much sleep as I possibly can because I would rather sacrifice sleep than time with my family.  I just cut out a lot of the sleep so that I can at least be home with my family and see them when I am not working.

What is challenging about working in corrections?

One of the major challenges [for me] has been learning how to handle inmates.  From my background, I always had a strong background in firearms, karate and martial arts.  It's difficult now to decide when to actually use force.  Being in a more structured law enforcement environment, you have to be very careful and use your personal communication skills more than your physical qualities. Learning that was very difficult for me. 

Another challenge is dealing with gangs.  It's a challenge to get the whole staff up to speed on dealing with the more violent inmate.  Our jail is run very well, but we see with the gang presence that it's going to become more difficult.  My biggest challenge is to get staff up to speed to be able to deal with it. 

How do you lead?

I was fortunate to have been brought up as a Marine Corps leader, which [means] you always take care of your people - their welfare comes first.  As a leader, I treat people how I would like to be treated as a follower.  I make sure they are always taken care of and that their concerns come first.  I make sure that whatever I can do for them, I do.  I am in a position as a training sergeant to be able to take care of them and help them in a little bit of a unique way.  I was brought up that way in the military.  I had a lot of support from [my superiors here] that helped me learn corrections and learn to deal with people.

What advice do you have for folks starting out in the corrections field?

Stay with it.  Give [corrections] a chance.  It's very difficult at the beginning.  Once you work through the first five years or so, you will know whether you like it or not.  We still need a lot of good officers to stay in corrections.  Give all the dedication you can to your institution and then basically, again, give it your full effort.

Why do you deserve this award?

 I am very humble.  I am floored I am the one I am getting it.  There are so many people out there in the corrections field that I know who do an outstanding job that I use as role models. I just happen to have great bosses who put me in for this and I got the recognition. I am sure there are other people just as deserving or more deserving.

I want to thank everyone from my bosses, to the IACO, for giving me this tremendous, once-in-a-lifetime honor.  It's something I will never forget.

What words do you live by?

Never quit in anything you do, whether it's working on a simple task or project, such as improving paperwork for intake in corrections, or [a bigger project, like] getting a tactical team ready to respond to a terrorist attack.  Never quit on any front.  Always give your best.  Try as hard as you possibly can.

Sue Freno, IACO's 2005 National Correctional Officer of the Year
Correctional Officer
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction

"I think when you come into corrections, you want to treat others how you would have them treat you.  I think, sometimes, people get off track.  [You have] to remain professional."

What does this award mean to you?

Of course, it's very overwhelming and I am very honored to receive a very prestigious award.  It's kind-of surreal when I think about it. 

What do you do?

I am a corrections officer in what we call "four house."  It's a dorm style [unit] with two sides.  We have approximately 272 inmates.  I supervise their daily activities, like keeping the dorm clean and sanitation.  I work the day shift from 6 a.m.-2 p.m.

Who are you?

I have been in corrections for eight years.  I became involved in corrections when I lost my job at a power plant.  Belmont Correctional Institution was pretty new then.  They had started a new program at Belmont Technical College for corrections [students], so I got started into that program and applied for an internship here and really enjoyed the work.  I love my job as a corrections officer.

What makes you a good CO?

I think it's a very important job.  We are the front line; [we are responsible for the] safety and security [of inmates and the facility].  I believe that we can make a positive or negative impact - hopefully more of a positive impact on the inmates - and perhaps even other staff by the way we carry ourselves as professionals.  It's important to be a positive person and to always treat others as you would have them treat you.  I think my strength would be that I do have a very positive attitude.  I like working with people and I enjoy my job.  I always just try to do my job well and remain professional.

What do you do during your down time?

I garden, walk and spend time with my friends, my daughter and my mom.  My daughter is 22 and just finished college.  I am very proud of what she has accomplished.  It was [difficult to work in corrections] when she was younger.  It was hard to find a babysitter for midnight shift, but my mom helped out a lot, so things worked out.

What philosophy do you live by?

My strength comes from the Lord.  I try to live my life based on His principles and His guidelines.  I think when you come into corrections, you want to treat others how you would have them treat you.  I think, sometimes, people get off track.  [You have] to remain professional.

Why do you deserve this award?

I believe I was nominated because of a program I started here at the institution - the Adopt-a-Solider program. That was a program that actually one of the soldiers - another corrections officer, Shane Cieszeski, who knew he was going to be deployed overseas had come up with idea to have others in the field look out for families [of officers overseas.  Along with] Russ Teramana, Jeff Frasher and Becky McKinney, I started the program.  When the soldiers were first deployed, we put together a luncheon for all the wives.  They brought their children and we had child care for them.  We gave them the opportunity to get to know each other, so they would know each other well enough that they could talk to each other about their feelings and some of the things that they might face, [like] loneliness or problems.  We did different things throughout the year.  We had pizza and salad at my house one time.  We had an activity at a small café to help the soldiers [deal with issues they face] when they come back. 

I would like to give Lt. Sam Carter, who also works at Belmont Correctional Institution, the credit for recognizing the needs that soldiers have when they come back from a situation, such as being in Iraq.   He also recognized the needs they have and he helped to set up the dinner at that café. 

We also sent packages to the soldiers; we had a lot of support.  A third grade class put together some boxes, from a child's view point of what these solider would want.  The boxes were really [great].  Also we had a Boy Scout group that donated a lot of items that we sent over to the soldiers. 

[The program] is still in operation.  We have five officers overseas and three others activated locally.

It's so important for me to stress that I received the honor and the recognition for this, but there are so many people who put in so much time and effort.  There are so many generous people - all of the staff at BeCI that donated money and all the time for the bake sales and all of the fundraisers that we have had.  There was so much involvement - so many good people here that helped.  It's very difficult for me.  I wish I could take the award and spread it around to everyone.  I want to say thank you to everyone for their support and their help.  This belongs to BeCI.  This belongs to everyone who supported us, everyone who allowed us the freedom to continue on and do our fundraisers.  This is really who the award belongs to - not just to me.  I would like to stress [that] this [award] belongs to everyone at BeCI, not just Sue Freno.

Johnnie Watson, AJA's 2005 Correctional Officer of the Year
Correctional Officer
Orange County, Fla., Corrections Department

"I always want to try to treat other people the way that I want to be treated.  I want to be fair and I want to be honest with people." 

What does this award mean to you?

I feel honored in the sense that I have been in corrections for a long time and I think I really found a good purpose in moving into working with the juveniles.  They always say if somebody is salvageable, it's the youngest ones.  Since I have been [working] with them, I really found a purpose [for working] other than just coming in and going home. It helps me as much as I feel I am helping them.  Honestly, I was actually surprised about the award.  It means a lot.  I am proud of it.  I put in a lot of work and it paid off.  In the last six years [our department] won, [the award] five times so that says a lot about our division.  Three of the officers, including myself, came out of the juvenile section here.  It's an honor.

Why do you deserve this award?

I do participate in a lot of after-duty activities.  I speak to Leadership Orlando.  We have dinner for the youth.  On the weekends, we bring in their families to visit them.  I speak to their families also.

What do you do?

Of course, I maintain supervision.  We are ensuring that they are in school, getting done what they need to get done in school and going to programs in the evening times that they are part of.

Who are you?

I came into corrections by way of the military.  I came out of high school and I had some college, but I ended up leaving college and I think that, probably, I kind of identify with the juveniles a lot because I was heading in the same direction.  [But] I [ended up] going into the military for six years.  I was in Germany, California and Georgia.  It helped me a lot.  It kind-of straightened me out.  It got me on the right road and doing what I needed to be doing.  After I left the military, I came here to corrections.  I have been in corrections for 16 years.

Initially when I got out, it was about finding a good job.  I wanted to be in law enforcement.  After I started looking at things, I just tried corrections as a stepping stone and I ended up liking it, so I stayed.  It's more hands-on here because I am here with [the juveniles] every day.  Like I said, I grew up in the same neighborhood [in Orlando] as a lot of these guys. 

I have [had a number of different positions in corrections], I have been a floor officer.  I have worked with the maximum security inmates, I have worked with the juveniles for most of my career here, which [has been] eight years now.  In addition, I also participated on the road crew, which is the outside maintenance - we take inmates out on the road to work.  I have also part on the line crew - juveniles who go out and do restitution work. 

What do you do during your down time?

I spend a lot of time with my kids because I have four boys and two daughters.  One daughter is in college now - my oldest.  And I have an older son [who] is graduated [from high school], but he is working now.  The other ones are in high school.  It is tough.  My boys are active in sports, so I have to try to keep up with that.

What advice do you have for folks starting out in the corrections field?

I think it takes a special person to work in corrections.  I guess you would say it's a different animal, so to speak.  It does take a special person.  I think my biggest advice would be to be firm.  You want to be firm.  You want to be confident.  If you are going to go for promotion, try to do it within your first five years.

What words do you live by?

I think my biggest thing in life is I always want to try to treat other people the way that I want to be treated.  I want to be fair and I want to be honest with people.  Sometimes that doesn't rub people the right way, but being honest is the best way to do it.  That may makes me seem a little frank sometimes and a little blunt, but I can say I am honest about it.

What are your future plans?

Eventually, I want to get promoted.  I do want to go up the ladder possibly to sergeant.  There are [some] other positions that I have my eye on here in corrections, but I just haven't gotten to the point to where I am ready to leave the juveniles right now.  I like staying with them.  Right now it's really rewarding for me.  I think that is where I am doing the most good.

Janet Miller, ACA's 2005 Medal of Valor Award
Correctional Officer
Missouri Department of Corrections

"Always be alert, pay attention and watch out for one another."

Why did you receive this award?

[I received this award] for going into a situation and helping another officer.  There were three of us females that went into a room to give an inmate an injection.  Two of the officers went in with the nurse.  When we turned around to exit the room, the inmate grabbed the last officer around the neck with both of his arms.  He held her around the neck and was trying to pull her back into the cell.  I just rushed back in there to help her and he let go of her and started fighting with me.  He was trying to stab me in the shoulder with a homemade knife he had made by sharpening the earpieces of his eyeglasses.  He was sticking us with this earpiece.  He had tried to go across her throat with it, but it didn't break the skin.  When I came in, he let go of her and started fighting with me.  I fought with him and blocked him.  He stuck me in the shoulder five times.  I had five little tiny holes in my shoulder.  Neither one of us really got hurt that bad.  I had two other officers that rushed in to help me take the inmate down - Donald Ridegeway and Lisa Henneberry.

What does this award mean to you?

I am proud.  We had such good teamwork.  We were there for one another and it made me feel good that we stick together like we do. 

Why do you deserve this award?

I guess because I was there and I did my job.  It was [my natural reaction] to be there for somebody when they needed [me]. 

What do you do?

I mainly work the yard now.  I work day shift.  I monitor the inmates and make sure that we all go home safe, sound and happy.

How did you find your way into the corrections field?

[I had a job at a factory].  The factory was shutting down and some of my other friends had started working here.  They liked the job alright, so that is how I got started working here.  I have been in this position for five years.

What do you do during your down time?

I like to plant gardens and flowers and take care of my grandkids.  I have my seventh one on the way.  I love more than anything

What advice do you have for folks starting out in the corrections field?

Always be alert, pay attention and watch out for one another.

What words do you live by?

I don't judge people.  I always try to look at every angle of everything.