Following a distressing incident earlier this month, the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office is enforcing new policies after seven inmates were left in a transport van for about two hours, resulting in a temporary breakout for aid. The situation unfolded on May 12 when, after being left in a van parked inside a garage, the inmates managed to escape their confines and used an intercom system to call for help, later undergoing a medical check-up before returning to their respective units, according to the Sheriff's office.
An internal investigation carried out by the Sheriff's Office identified several issues including lack of supervisory oversight, inadequate communication, and unintentional negligence, this led to disciplinary actions taken against various staff members - one supervisor was demoted from sergeant to deputy and is set to undergo additional training, two deputies received counseling, and another deputy is no longer employed with the department, per a CBS News Detroit story. Although it was not made clear whether the departure of deputy was a result of resignation or dismissal, the Sheriff's department made clear the series of corrective steps, including policy reviews aiming to tighten transportation protocols of incarcerated individuals.
During the aforementioned incident, one inmate explained the stifling conditions inside the van as it sat in the garage, "Mind you, it was already 80 degrees outside. So we in the car, we tried to take off our clothes but we really couldn’t take our clothes off because we were in belly chains and shackles. So we really couldn’t do nothing to get no air. Like imagine you’re playing basketball, 80 degrees outside for a 40-minute game. That’s how bad we were sweating," Dominique Motton told WOODTV in an interview reflecting on the harrowing experience.
In the wake of this incident, significant changes were announced by the Sheriff's office to eliminate the possibility of such negligence occurring in the future, includes instituting a policy where all inmates returning from court or other external visits must be unloaded in the jail receiving garage, as opposed to the transport garage where the oversight initially happened, vehicles must keep their passenger doors open whenever inmates are not contained within and no vans will be left stowed in the receiving garage - this information was disclosed in a statement from the Sheriff's office received by WZZM13. The thorough review by the KCSO acknowledged multiple violations of their written directives and has set in motion the ongoing refinement of their jail facilities to ensure safety for all parties involved, residents, staff, and visitors alike.
