Saturday, October 4, 2008

Drugs Found in Jail Cell

"'It's not uncommon for this to happen,' (said) Lt. Andrew Zinke". Maybe another way of saying this is, "It's common for this to happen."

According to today's Northwest Herald article on Page 8, a female prisoner's cell was searched, and a K-9 "unit" alerted on the drugs. What was found in the cell? 11.5 grams of heroin and 13.2 grams of methadone.

The prisoner was apparently jailed on Wednesday on a charge of driving on a suspended license. The arresting officer and agency were not identified. The article does not state whether she was stopped while driving, but it might be a fair guess to assume so. Or else she was arrested on a warrant for doing so, but the article does not say that.

So the question is, why weren't the drugs found then? Weren't her personal effects (purse, clothing pockets, etc.) searched then? Was she allowed out-of-sight (for example, into a bathroom) with her purse or pocket contents, so that she could allegedly secret them in a body cavity and keep them there throughout the booking procedures?

Why would a K-9 unit be in the jail cell area, and why on the day after she was jailed? Are K-9 units used there for training? Was it a random search? Are K-9 searches scheduled periodically or regularly?

The worrisome comment is that "it is not uncommon..." for drugs to be found in jail cells. Oh, really? Well, if I were Sheriff, it would be v-e-r-y uncommon, and deputies responsible for allowing it to happen would find themselves with special high-intensity training, so that they got the message.

If there is a problem with drugs getting into McHenry County Jail, then procedures are wrong or supervision is lax. Or both. What other contraband is found in this Jail? Any weapons? Ever?

1 comment:

we need sheriff joe said...

You're assuming that the article in the Herald was accurate. It was not. First, the drugs were not found by k-9, they were found by correction officers. Second, this does not happen often, It rarely happens. Maybe next time the Herald should quote someone who actually works in the jail and not a patrol Lt.