Jails guard against virus

By WILLIAM KINCAID
and SYDNEY ALBERT

Mercer and Auglaize County's jails so far have avoided coronavirus infections.

Mercer County jail inmates have been spared so far, thanks in part to strict protocols enacted almost two months ago, sheriff Jeff Grey said. One law enforcement employee, though, had tested positive for the coronavirus but has since recovered and returned to duty.

The jail since March 13 has been closed to the public except for health professionals, attorneys, delivery people and citizens seeking concealed-carry permits or fingerprinting services required for their profession, Grey said. The measure was taken to protect both law enforcement personnel and inmates as the coronavirus is known to proliferate in cramped conditions such as in jails.

Under normal circumstances the jail houses 65 to 80 inmates. Those numbers are now down to between 25 to 27 for various reasons, Grey pointed out.

"Crime seems to be down, and we're not taking prisoners from other counties right now," he said. "Our jail count is way down, which gives us the ability when someone gets arrested to separate them from the rest of the jail population.

"And some of it is we haven't been as aggressive in going after someone who has a misdemeanor warrant, which is a low-level crime," he continued. "If we get (coronavirus) in the jail …. we would have a mess."

All incoming inmates are placed in cells segregated from the general population for 14 days, which is widely believed to be the virus's incubation period.

"And we monitor them. We're checking prisoners' temperatures twice a day," Grey said.

All staff also have their temperatures taken daily. Any corrections personnel who leave the building must have their temperature taken again before being allowed back in.

"Every time somebody goes into the jail their temperature is taken," Grey added.

Jail staff who come into contact with prisoners wear masks - for the protection of the inmates.

"The thought process is, the inmates that are in jail have been in long enough that if they had it they should have shown symptoms by now," Grey said. "So if we keep them separated from anybody coming in, then they should be good."

Auglaize County jail administrator Capt. Lisa Wright said deputies and jail staff are required to use personal protective equipment, and additional cleaning and sanitizing measures have been implemented. Quarantine policies would also be in place in the event someone with coronavirus does enter the jail.

As for new inmates coming into the jail, Wright said people entering have their temperatures taken and are questioned about whether they've been experiencing possible COVID-19 symptoms.

If someone coming in does have symptoms, a deputy takes that person to the hospital. The inmate would need to be cleared by medical staff before being incarcerated.

Staff also have their temperatures taken and are asked about possible symptoms before they enter, Wright said. Officers wear gloves and masks when bringing in new inmates and when working around the jail.

As another preventive measure in Auglaize County, inmate visitation has been suspended, as have visits from outside parties, such as recovery and church groups. To keep possible cross contamination to a minimum, Wright said the jail has been relying much more on video court proceedings rather than physically transporting inmates to the courthouse.

If the coronavirus does infect the jail population, Wright said the facility has a medical unit where patients could be quarantined. Entire housing units also could be quarantined to prevent further possible spread, and the jail has the ability to fog certain parts of the building if necessary.

Wright said PPE donations had been helpful, as jail staff tend to go through pieces quickly. And personnel aren't the only people who make use of masks and other PPE, she said. If inmates feel uncomfortable and want a mask, they, too, are given one.

Some jails and prisons in California and across the U.S. have released inmates in response to the pandemic, with crowded quarters and a lack of PPE making it ripe for the virus to spread behind bars, according to The Associated Press.

Auglaize County also has followed this tack with Wright saying the reduction in inmate population is likely one of the biggest changes at the jail. She said the jail's population had been cut in half recently as non-violent offenders and those charged with "lower" offenses were either released on bond or furloughed.

Jail staff have reportedly been working with the Auglaize County court system to judge who is eligible for release. While some inmates have been released on furlough with orders to return to the jail after the coronavirus is no longer a threat, others have been granted early releases.

Wright said whether inmates are released depends on the inmates and their unique situations. Some who may have been due for release in a week were granted early release as were inmates who judges believed had adequately served their sentences.

Grey in Mercer County, however, is not following that approach.

"We did not let anyone out early," he said.

However, Grey said he did meet with county judges early in the pandemic, requesting they not hand down weekend- or work-release jail sentences for low-level crimes.

"I don't want people coming in and going out and coming in. If you're coming in, you're in until you get out," he said. "And the judges were very good with that."

Initially, some inmates were worried about contracting COVID-19. They now, for the most part, are concerned about their outside family members coming into contact with coronavirus while working essential jobs or picking up groceries or prescriptions, Grey said.

On the law enforcement side, one person has tested positive for COVID-19, Grey said. That person, who was then isolated at home for 14 days, recovered fairly well from mild symptoms and returned to work.

Other employees have been tested, but their results came back negative, he noted.

"We've had a couple of other employees that have been off because they've had symptoms but haven't been tested," he said. "They were off for a while and have recovered and are back to work."

One advantage the sheriff's office has in regard to responding promptly to staff or inmate sickness is a staff of two nurses, Grey said.

"Obviously if an employee gets sick they need to go to their doctor but (nurse supervisor) Megan Fokine is setting up the protocols for us on, 'here's when you can come to work and if these things happen we're sending you home,' " Grey said. "She stayed on top of it."

Additionally, she maintains a good relationship with the health department.

"If the health department would have something where they need a nurse, we would let our nurses help the health department" Grey said. "And if something happened where we needed nurses in the jail, the health department would help us."

The sheriff's office continues to process civilian fingerprinting as part of background checks and concealed-carry permit applications by appointment only in the afternoons, Grey said. Staff wear additional PPE when dealing with the public.

"We're still doing those (permit applications). We're doing a lot of those," he said. "And we are still doing fingerprints. A lot of people in health care (and other areas) are required to be fingerprinted for their jobs."

Also, people requesting public records can do so by calling 419-586-5770 or by visiting the civil division section of the sheriff's website at mercercountysheriff.org. They can have the requested documents sent to them via fax, email or mail.