web1_D4Cam012.jpg

Minor traffic congestion reported in the downtown area

Ashley police officer files lawsuit alleging retaliation for attempts to form union

When you think of a frightening job what comes to mind? Perhaps a firefighter or a police officer. Or picture a lion tamer performing in a cage with five hungry man-eaters with only a whip to protect him for 10 minutes; that&#8217;s a real test of fear.Well, now imagine that same image, however it involves 500 to 1,000 incarcerated criminals in a corrections facility and the lion tamer is the corrections officer. The corrections officer, unlike the lion tamer, is unarmed and carries no protection whatsoever and works in the confined area for eight- to 16-hour shifts a day.This is the reality for corrections officers all over the country. They put their lives on the line every day. They are the unsung heroes of our justice system. They are at constant risk of being injured or killed by an inmate. It is the CO&#8217;s job to keep order in the facility, but with insufficient staffing and the inability to protect themselves the unfortunate reality is order can turn to chaos in a split second. When this happens and an inmate lashes out, the CO has only his fists and his wit to protect himself. The harsh reality is that COs lose their lives.Take, for instance, the case of Eric Williams. Eric was a corrections officer at U.S. Penitentiary Canaan. On Feb. 25, 2013, Officer Williams was supervising 118 high-security inmates. He carried with him just keys, handcuffs and a hand-held radio. While Officer Williams made his rounds, a gang murderer allegedly knocked him down a flight of steps and stabbed him 129 times. Officer Williams was 34 years old.There are many similar stories. Recently, an officer from SCI Mahanoy in Schuylkill County was brutally attacked. The officer sustained severe lacerations to his face and arms requiring several dozen stitches.In both of these cases, the corrections officer was simply doing his job. Neither provoked the attacks. Neither officer carried any form of protection. And in both cases, had the officer been allowed to use something as simple as mace, they might have been able to avoid serious injury or, in Officer Williams&#8217; case, death.Gwenlyn HarrisKingston

Letter to the Editor: Federal corrections officers deserving of tools to keep them safe