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| Prisoner transport stops traffic on highway |
| By Lahonton Valley news |
| Published: 08/25/2005 |
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Traffic was stopped at intersections along the Reno Highway Wednesday morning and on Monday while the Nevada Department of Corrections transported prisoners through town. Fritz Schlottman, public information officer for the Department of Corrections, said groups of prison inmates are moved periodically to adjust the population at the state's 14 correctional facilities. "We were moving one group to the Ely State Prison from various locations," Schlottman said. Inmates are also being moved out of Ely and into other institutions, he added. Prisoners are moved when the capacity at one prison becomes overcrowded because of the particular class of inmates in the facility, such as the number of those in protection custody or in isolation cells, he said. The two buses that came through Fallon Monday each carried 51 prison inmates. Only one bus traveled through town Wednesday. For security reasons, prison officials ask local law enforcement to escort the buses through populated regions so the buses don't have to stop. The Fallon Police Department, the Churchill County Sheriff's Office and the Nevada Highway Patrol all participated in the escort. Assistant Fallon Police Chief Ray Dolan said law enforcement held traffic at all traffic signals in town so the prison convoy, with lights and sirens activated, did not have to stop. Dolan said the bus, escorted by Department of Prison officers in separate vehicles, came in from Carson City and continued east along Highway 50. He said citizens who were stopped were curious about the transport. Schlottman said asking police to escort the prison buses through each town is a standard security procedure. "We do that when we're moving high-profile inmates or someone who's an escape risk," he said. "Someone who has escaped or has an attempted escape in their background is considered a high-risk inmate. In case someone tries to stop the bus we have an escort available. "It's really no big deal." Schlottman said additional inmates will be moved in the next two weeks. He wouldn't say whether more buses would be coming through Fallon. |
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