MCSD Jail break - sort of

Remember the jail break back on December 21st? It wasn't really a jail "break", when a male inmate got through a secure (well, it was supposed to be secure) door between the men's and women's jail sections and headed for his girl friend's cell for a little "late-afternoon delight".

And, according to some reporting, he wasn't hurried. Some believe as many as 90 minutes passed, after women began complaining that a man had sneaked in. Others say it was "only" 35 minutes. So, why didn't guards react immediately?

Three guards have been given ten-day suspensions. Bad boy, bad girl. I wonder if they'll have to take ten days straight, or if they'll get the "Woodstock deal". You know, where it gets spread out over a year...

You can guess there won't be any press release from the Sheriff's Department. It's election season and important to keep a positive spin on all the action (term used loosely) at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department.

But is it possible that there is a much more serious problem? Is it true that problems with that particular door have existed for 10-15 years? Even Sheriff Nygren said that door had to be slammed (to make it lock). If guards have been complaining for so many years, why didn't Jail Administration get that door fixed?

What is "special" about one of the three guards ("correctional officers"), aside from the information to me that that guard might have close ties to a senior commander in the Jail? Guards are supposed to hold FOID cards - Firearm Owner's ID cards. Why? They might have to handle firearms. And don't they have to qualify at the range?

If a new person who doesn't have a FOID is hired, is that person supposed to apply for a FOID card? Is that person supposed to obtain the FOID card within a specified period of time? What happens if that new employee doesn't get the FOID card by the deadline?

Worse, what happens if that employee is denied a FOID card? What if that person is denied the FOID card twice? What condition is resulting in denial? Is it possibly the condition would mean the person shouldn't have been hired in the first place?

Jail letterhead on the Sheriff's website says that Nygren and Zinke (yes, Zinke's name is there) are at the top of the pile of those who are supposed to be running things in the jail. Then comes Corrections Chief Dan Sedlock, and then Deputy Corrections Chief Patrick Firman. How many hours/week is Chief Sedlock working? And Firman?

What's the morale like among corrections officers?