Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Range Day!

Every year I am required to qualify with departmental weaponry. I am not a big gun advocate, however I do support the right to own and use guns. I just find that many times when you have a gun, and you are about to defend yourself, it is like AKo vs. 88, basically a coin flip. I do own a handgun, but it was purchased when my daughter was 16, and understood the power a hand gun provides and the damage it can create.

That said, it is funny with the department. I qualify once a year with a Smith & Wesson model 38, which is a .38 caliber revolver. I also qualify with a Ruger Mini-14 .223. A slick little rifle, that is very powerful and deadly. The round travels over 2 miles!! The Range Masters are "gun guys". The live, breath and sleep guns. The pack their own heat on the firing line, not some sissy little .38.

So there I sit for 10 hours with guys who can't understand my dumbfounded look when they are discussing the back strap and the ejector star or the heat shield and magazine well. I mean really.... I qualify once a year, and in my position, I will never see a gun. Like I say, " If I have to shoot someone, the National Guard better be on grounds". But I sit and sit and sit. I have never missed qualifying in 18 years, and if I do, what are they going to fire me!

That brings me back to the concept of departmental annual training. The department mandates 40 hours of formal classroom training a year. This is to assure the public that we are deserving of our pay, which by prison standards is OUTSTANDING! Anyway, the actual training is more in line with 10 hours! Yes, 10 hours of actual training and 30 hours of breaks and lunch. Yesterday I sat in a 6 hour block of training mandated by the US government and the Office of Homeland Security. Of the 6 hours, the actual class contained 2 hours of information. We would listen to a 15 minute lecture, followed by a 20 minute break. We would return and take a 5-10 question test, and back to a 20 minute break. Of course the answers were provided. This went on for 7 modules. The funny thing about the training is, it contained a half an hour of relevant information to the prison system.

I suffered through a 4 hour block of training regarding the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), a program signed by President Bush in 2003. The act has not been funded again, so I guess we couldn't prevent the cons from getting theirs and prisoners are getting raped again. WTF.

So we get breaks and breaks an breaks. That sounds good, however we can not leave grounds and there is no smoking ( I quit 10 years ago). So we stand around like idiots wasting time. Because we are in training, we can not do our "regular" work. So we stand and stand and stand, wait and wait and wait to go back to class for another 30 minutes just to take another 20 minute break. I am exhausted from doing nothing. PRISON!

FOLLOW-UP: DR. PHIL VISIT

On Monday, March 19, 2007, Dr. Phil McGraw of the Dr. Phil show was on grounds. The production team arrived first and he followed later in the day with a family from the east coast he flew in for a visit with an inmate. Security was very tight. Members of our Investigative Services Unit (ISU) provided coverage. Everyone was cleared away as he entered. All staff was detoured and order to back away from the tour. Sally ports were shut down, parking lots were blocked off. It was unreal. Each Correctional Officer is considered a Peace Officer. Think of us as the police in a very ugly and mean city, we have some juice. So why the overproduction? I thought the Warden might be grandstanding and making his visit a bigger deal than it was. Well, I found out it was him! His team stated he would not speak to any staff member and wanted the area cleared away from any correctional staff. He did not mind the convicts, but the staff! Man, all I have to say is, don't ever get in trouble Dr. Phil, the Prison Rape Elimination Act was not re-funded!

POKER -

Too tired and suffered some evil beats. Taking the night off and watching Let's Go To Prison, Unrated. I consider it an extension of today's training.