Latest news with #EdJackson
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Floating crew' required at Tennessee prison to oversee inmates
A "floating crew" of correction officers is being sent to the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, to bolster staffing. (Photo: Tennessee Department of Correction) Despite a major increase in prison officer salaries, the Tennessee Department of Correction is hitting personnel shortages, forcing it to bring in a 'floating security crew' at state facilities. A five-person group of correctional officers volunteered to assist staff in March at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, which has capacity for 1,776 male inmates, including juvenile offenders convicted as adults, the department confirmed. The state is hiring 20 more correctional officers to serve on the 'floating security crew,' and depending on experience their pay could range from $4,675 to $5,300 a month, up to $63,600 a year, about 20% more than the average pay for officers, according to the department. Officers on the crew travel to locations where they are needed based on staffing levels, and applications for the job are available on the Department of Correction's website. The department wouldn't say whether Northwest Correctional had suffered any security breakdowns or major incidents because of the staffing shortage. Shortages come at a time the state is requiring inmates to serve longer terms because of the so-called 'truth and sentencing' law and support for a constitutional amendment that would enable judges to deny bail to more offenders. Republican Sen. Ed Jackson of Jackson, chairman of a legislative committee on prisons, said Northwest Correctional has a history of correctional officer vacancies. 'It's just hard to get people in that part of the state to go in as correctional officers. I know they've struggled up there quite a bit over the last three or four years,' Jackson said. The state increased officer salaries and held recruiting events in West Tennessee to hire more officers, but couldn't keep the staffing level up to standards, Jackson added. He was uncertain whether additional pay increases would solve the problem. The department announced in January it was putting $37 million more into salary increases for correctional officers and security personnel, effective Feb. 16, raising starting salaries to $51,204 with additional increases that would bump pay to $60,720 after 18 months. Current staff was to see a 10% increase or be brought up to the new base salary, according to the department. The pay increase came on the heels of a 35% pay booster two years ago. Correction Commissioner Frank Strada told lawmakers in February state-run prisons have a 26% vacancy rate for correction officers compared to 33.7% at Trousdale Turner, a facility run by the state's private contractor, CoreCivic. The Trousdale prison remains under a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. 'This investment in our people recognizes the value of correctional professionals and demonstrates the support we have received from the Governor's Office and the General Assembly,' Strada said in a January letter to employees. Strada said in the letter the pay increase would make the Department of Correction one of the highest-paying correctional agencies in the Southeast. The Tennessee State Employees Association called the raises an 'important step' toward dealing with the challenge of recruiting and keeping employees at state prisons. The department is requesting a $6.8 million contract increase for its private prison operator even though it penalized the company $44.78 million since 2022 for contractual shortfalls, $15 million the last month alone, mainly for personnel shortages. CoreCivic refuses to disclose what it pays officers, and similarly to the state, it brings personnel from other states to boost staff when it has shortages. Trousdale Turner sustained a 146% turnover rate in 2023. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
CBS News
11-02-2025
- CBS News
16-year-old dead after shooting inside Annapolis home, police say
ANNAPOLIS -- A 16-year-old was killed in a shooting inside an Annapolis home on Saturday, Feb. 8, according to police. Officers said they responded to the 100 block of Holeclaw Street around 8 p.m. for the reported shooting, where they found the teen boy suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene, officers said. Man shot on soccer field Saturday's shooting came days after an 18-year-old man was shot by a relative on a soccer field in Annapolis in an unrelated incident. Police said the shooting occurred on Feb. 4 at Wiley Bates Heritage Park which is located behind a senior center and near The Boys and Girls Club of Annapolis. The 18-year-old man was found suffering from a gunshot wound to his head and taken to a shock trauma center to be treated for his injuries. Police said at the time of the shooting there were about 30 people, including teens, playing soccer on the field. "One witness said they heard a loud pop and saw people scattering, and that's when the victim was discovered," Annapolis Police Chief Ed Jackson said. On Monday, officers said a minor was arrested for shooting the 18-year-old who is a relative. "Sad that, once again, kids have access to guns, sad that it happened at a place that is publicly accessible, sad that people have to deal with disagreements using violence," Annapolis resident Josh Falk said. Crime in Annapolis So far in 2025, there have been at least four victims of gun violence in Annapolis, according to data from the police department. One of those includes a 16-year-old boy who was injured in a shooting on Jan. 24 and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. The city reported 30 instances of gun violence in 2024, including nine shootings and three homicides. Four of those reported shootings left minors injured, according to police data. In 2023, one juvenile was killed in a shooting. In four instances, minors were victims of gun violence in contact shootings, data shows. Maryland has cracked down on juvenile crime in recent years. In 2024, the Juvenile Reform Act went into effect, making it possible for children between the ages of 10 and 12 to be charged with certain offenses like gun possession. The law also allows the state's attorney's office to review cases against minors who are under the supervision of the Department of Juvenile Services.
