Traveling to Washington, D.C., for the International Association of Correctional Officers awards luncheon was not only the highest honor of Kirk Daniels' career, it was one of the greatest accomplishments of his life.  The Atlanta, Georgia, Transportation Officer said he was thankful for the opportunity to go to the nation's capital, where he was recognized by the IACO and his peers as a finalist for the 2005 National Correctional Officer of the Year award.

Recently, The Corrections Connection Network News talked with Daniels about how he got his start in the corrections field and what he has accomplished since he began working for the Atlanta Department of Corrections, nearly 20 years ago.

Q: How did you find your way into the corrections field?

Daniels: Well, actually, when I got involved in corrections, I was working at the post office at the time.  I saw that they had an opening and, to be honest with you, my first option was to be a fireman.  I applied for both - a firefighter position and a corrections officer position.  [The Atlanta Department of] Corrections called me first.  I was working with the post office and also working at UPS. 

I started going through my training with corrections and then the fire department called me.  Somewhere along the way, I went and took the training with the fire department and my folder got misplaced somewhere in the shuffle between corrections and the fire department.  So I reapplied with the fire department and just [kept] working with corrections.  I kept coming to work, and I really wanted to be a fireman at the time, but over a period of time, I guess by working with corrections, I kind-of lost interest in being a fireman.  I guess it just wasn't my will to be a fireman.  The longer I worked [in corrections], the more interested I got in the job.

I started working in the jail on morning watch in 1986.  Then I moved to transportation in 1989.  I also worked out at the prison.  We had, at one time, a city prison.  I worked out there, I believe, around 1991 or 1992.  We opened a new jail and then I moved back to transportation in 1995.  That is where I am presently working.

Q: What do you do on a daily basis?

Daniels: My unit is responsible for getting all the detainees in our facility to court.  We also have federal detainees [we have to transport].  We have to take [inmates] to the medical facility if they have some type of medical issue.  We have to take them to the different facilities and we also help out inside the jail when they need us.  At times, we assist the police department when they have what they call a "mass arrest."  We drive the bus for them.  We also assist the police department when they have big events that come in the city, like when the Olympics was here, when the all-star game was here, the Superbowl.  Anything where there is a big, major crowd in the city, we usually assist with helping out on the street.

Q: In Fulton County, an inmate recently overpowered a deputy and murdered a judge and court clerk.  Has that event changed the way you feel about your job as a transportation officer?

Daniels: It just really alerted me and my unit as to how quickly a situation could get out of hand.  [You have to] keep your guard up and not get too lax on your job.  It hasn't changed my outlook so far as the job [is concerned].  It just kind of gives people a clearer picture when it comes to safety and how serious it is to have personnel in the right positions and [how important] training is.  We discuss these things on a daily basis and sometimes people take [these] things for granted.

Q: What do you like best about your job?

Daniels: Any time I can see where I am helping someone, it's a plus - and not just a plus on my behalf, it's the whole agency, as well.  Anytime I can see that I am making a change for the better [makes my job worthwhile].

Q: Why do you believe you were nominated for the IACO's 2005 Corrections Officer of the Year Award?

Daniels:  The sergeant that nominated [me] did an excellent job on the write up that she did, as far as asking me about a lot of things that I have been involved with since I have been here.  There have been a lot of different trainings that I have done and other things that I have helped out with.  When we, at times, have tourists that come to the jail - kids, adults or whatever - I help out with that.  I worked with the adopt-a-child program back in early 90s.  It was a program that was coordinated throughout the city.  I, along with a couple of the officers, went to a lot of the low-income neighborhoods and we got a lot of kids and took [them] to different activities.  We put together a football team with these kids.  We coached the team. We went and checked on the kids at different schools.

Presently, I have a coworker who I am working with [and we are] trying to start a mentoring program.  [We are] trying to be role models to different kids.  We have been trying to go to different recreation centers and schools on our down time.  We try to talk to kids that get in lot of trouble and try to give them a different outlook on which direction they are going.

I help out with any major situation in the jail.  Say you have a high profile detainee, I have dealt with a lot of those cases - escorting high profile detainees that might be violent or what not.

Q: What does it mean to you that you were a finalist for this award?

Daniels: It was a great honor to me.  I went to the awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.  It was one of the best experiences I have [had], not with just working in corrections - I mean overall in my life.  It was one of the biggest accomplishments that I have ever [had].  I am very thankful and honored.

Q: What do you do when you are not working at the jail?

Daniels:  Sometimes, I work part-time on an extra duty job.  Sometimes, I work over in the jail and [some of my] friends that have their own security companies and I do security, as well - crowd control or something like that.  I work out.  I enjoy going to movies.

Q: What advice do you have for others working in the corrections field?

Daniels: First of all, if you are seeking to come in corrections come openly.  Don't come in with that "you already know" attitude.  Try to come in as openly as possible and try to utilize your training to the utmost.  Try to always get as much training as you can.  You can never have enough training.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

Daniels: I would have to say that I look forward to continuing my career here and helping out as much as I can.  Hopefully, [I'll make] retirement.