JEFFERSON COUNTY (KTHV) – According the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Special Response Team (SRT) responded after inmates at the Jefferson County Jail rioted causing several thousand dollars in damage on Wednesday night.
According to Major Lafayette Woods, Jr., over 80 detainees rioted after jail security staff tightened security and restricted privileges for the inmates.
In the release, The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said, “We believe the heightening of security to combat contraband coupled with the loss of privileges is what precipitated the actions of the detainees. We are just fortunate that our only loss was property damage and not serious physical injury or loss of life.”
Jail video surveillance footage captured at least one masked detainee covering the one of the two cameras in the open jail pod with wet toilet paper prior to destroying an estimated several thousand dollars in property and equipment inside the pod.
Jefferson County Sheriff Gerald Robinson commented on the incident:
“Although no injuries were reported, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Detention Facilities have face situations such as these that inherently pose extreme danger to our staff, but these occurrences are becoming more frequent and dangerous. We need the support of our Quorum Court as we address inadequate staffing levels and urge the governing body to approve an increase of base salary of our deputy jailors.
No one is willing to come to work and be faced being attacked for a mere $23,000.00. We have become a training facility for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, who we lose a number of deputy jailors to because of better benefits and pay.”
An internal investigation by the agencies Criminal Investigation Division is currently underway.
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