True Loyalty is Humbling....

God allowed me a unique experience that I will treasure till my dying day.
This is the first time I have written of it. The emotional affect it has
on me is draining. Tears stream down my face as I am humbled at the honor
I was allowed to experience. God selected me to lead a group of heroic men
and women in a very dark and dangerous place.

April 1st, 1999, Sheriff Craig Thayer promoted me to Chief of Corrections.
Being supervisor of a jail is like being king of a forbidden dark world
that people refuse to acknowledge or talk about.
My dad likes to say, "There is a lot to be said for having something that
no one else wants". That is exactly what it was like being Chief of Corrections.
No one was jealous of my position as Chief. That should have suggested something.

The Corrections Staff were a group of people that ended up working in jail
through no fault of their own. Not one of us stood up at our High School
Graduation and announced that our dream in life was to work in the dark
windowless basement of the courthouse, breathe the most foul stench possible,
work every holiday, and take abuse from inmates.

At one point, 3/4ths of my staff had open L&I injury claims resulting from assaults
from inmates. The hard part was, outside of the department, no one knew and
no one cared. There were no awards, no medals, no parades, just the knowledge
that tomorrow held the promise of more verbal and physical abuse from customers.

The conditions and abuse had a refining effect. The staff knew that if they weren't
loyal and protect each other, no one else would be there for them.
I took an inmate into court for charges of assaulting a Corrections Officer. In open
court, the Superior Court Judge commented that people in that line of work needed to
expect that sort of behavior from inmates. The Corrections Staff began to understand
that loyalty to each other was necessary for survival.

I worked in the jail for over 10 years before I was promoted, so I had a clear
understanding of the terrible toll the Corrections Officers sacrificed every day.
I would daily search my soul for any shred of hope that I could give my Officers.
If there was a piece of equipment that might protect them, I would find the money
and get it for them. If there was some training event that would prepare them for
scenarios that they would have to face, I found the money and send them. I wrote
federal grants and received money for remodeling and security systems.
This didn't solve the problem but it tipped the scales and gave my Officers the
edge they needed to start winning more than we lost.

A drug induced, mentally disturbed inmate in Protective Custody hurt me badly
and ended my career. I passed my leadership mantle on to new qualified Officers
that would continue to protect my Corrections Officers at all cost.

As I was leaving the jail, I was presented with a photo scrapbook. Each page
contained a photo of one of my Officers and their respect for my leadership.
My Corrections Officers threw a going away party for me and with many tears,
paid their respects. Words fail to express the respect and pride I
have for these amazing men and women. Everyday, I ask God to protect those that
are still serving and sacrificing. Their sacrifices insure that each of us can
live with the assurance that brave souls are standing the line, holding back the
forces of evil that desire to prey on society and the innocent.
God speed my friends.... God speed....

Genesis 39:21-23
"The LORD was with Joseph; and God showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did"