NWH corrects date in jail story, but nothing else

Late yesterday afternoon the Northwest Herald updated its January 3rd story about the breach in security at the McHenry County Jail. The breach was a male inmate's getting into the women's section of the jail for a little "afternoon delight" with one of the women inmates.

The Northwest Herald inserted the correct date of the breach (Dec. 21) and placed a note at the bottom of the article: "• Note to readers: The original story required a correction. The incident happened on Dec. 21. The Northwest Herald regrets the error."

Unfortunately, the paper did not correct the many errors in the story.

Jailers are seething at how this story was reported. They would like for the public to be informed of the truth, because the public's opinion of the management of the Jail and of the Sheriff's Department might begin to change.

If the Northwest Herald opened the Comment Box below the article, then some brave souls might contribute valuable information about jail operations. They'd have to be extra careful, though, because retaliation would quite likely be swift.

Say it's not so, Andy.

Let's take the door between the men's and women's lock-ups. Rumor has it that jailers have complained for ten years that the door does not operate properly. Further, the door is directly between the two sections. Is there an Illinois County Jail Standard that male and female inmates are to be housed out of sight and sound of one another? But isn't it routine that the inmates communicate with one another by notes and voice?

Whenever a secure door is opened, shouldn't this draw the immediate attention of the guard paid to monitor the closed-circuit television monitors? Sure, there is a lot to watch on several monitors but, if a guard opens a secure door, shouldn't the guard pay direct attention to that monitor until the guard has safely passed through and re-secured the door?

In the Northwest Herald, the reporter wrote, "The Sheriff's Office is modifying procedures 'to make it impossible to ever happen again,' Undersheriff Andy Zinke said." To make sure what will never happen again?

The article continued, "For starters, the access door no longer will be used."

Want to bet? Is it going to welded shut? I doubt it!

And then, "All correctional officers were required to attend mandatory security training." Is that since the breach on December 21? Funny how the guards don't know about any new security training since December 21.

The County Board should make an independent operations and financial audit of the Jail and determine the true extent of operations income and expense. Jail population is down, especially the number of Federal prisoners being held and the number of I.C.E. detainees. But word is that staffing has not been reduced accordingly.

Are administrative and supervisory costs up, with all the new CERT teams? What did the ACA accreditation cost? What are the benefits, if any? Nice plaque to put on the wall. Somebody went on a paid vacation to Washington to pick up the plaque that could have been shipped for $10.

Not to worry. It's "just" taxpayer funds.