Confessions Of A Correctional Officer

Results

2008-04-11T05:01:00.002-04:00

The inmate was found guilty and sentenced to additional "hole" time. He is not fond of me.

Recent Update

2008-04-11T05:00:00.000-04:00

This new job is interesting, difficult, scary and strategic at the same time. As an example, last night I was supervising a unit of 30 inmates in one room---they live on bunk beds. One of the inmates is an accused rapist. Another inmate came up to me and told me that the first chance he got, he was going to attack this inmate and injure him severely. I told him that I and the cameras are always watching. He replied that there were no cameras in the showers. At that point, I called backup officers, and he was removed from the unit and placed in Segregation which is a closed custody unit. This means he is locked in his cell for 23 hours a day, and the other hour he may use to shower and/or exercise. Additionally, I issued him a DR or Disciplinary Report for threatening violence to another inmate which, if he is found guilty, may cost him up to thirty days in the “hole.”
The other night there was an inmate in a blind rage…he is one of the most dangerous inmates at the prison. He is notorious for always carrying a razorblade somewhere on his person. He went beserk the other night, and was advancing toward me while I continued to order him to comply with my directions to return to his bunk. When he continued to advance toward me, I had to call a “10-25” on my radio, which immediately summons backup officers. He was handcuffed and removed from the unit. It is moments like these that I realize that this is real life---and I know what I am supposed to do.
I realize that this job is truly a service to society---these are people who cannot function outside the rigid structure of prison. They are truly a danger to society. The rapists, burglars, heroin addicts, thieves, pedophiles---they are all here. And I must suspend my particular contempt I may feel for some of them more then others and treat them all exactly the same.

Update

2008-03-17T04:21:00.002-04:00

Obviously things have been quite busy on my end; thus the lack of timely posts. I think part of it is that there are so few things I can talk about without couching them in the most general terms, but since I enjoy writing these blogs and people apparently enjoy reading them, here goes:

Last night I worked in the Furlough/Female Unit which is for male inmates who are furloughed out to jobs during the day, and the other unit (which is entirely separate) is for female inmates who are either at the jail as Incaps (incapacitated, mostly drunk or detoxing) or who are serving various sentences through weekend residency at the jail so they can maintain their Monday-Friday job schedules. The guys are fairly self-sufficient and require nominal supervision, but the women tend to be another matter entirely.

This particularly evening, I had two weekenders, a girl who was in there as the result of an apparent domestic dispute, and in the other cell, two women who were being held for felony warrants. Quite the mix, and they kept me busy indeed.

At the end of my eight hour shift, I was "ordered over" (mandatory overtime) to work four hours in The Gym. The Gym is for for inmates from privilege units who have messed up or recent intakes into the jail. They are a motley crew indeed and are always trying to slide one by me. Just the other day, I caught three of them smoking contraband cigarettes in the bathroom and issued a DR on one of them. Obviously, he didn't like that at all and called me naughty names, which earned him point losses for Conduct.

But on the upside, they are learning that I don't mess around.

Packers.com: "Surprisng, but understandable"

2008-03-10T16:31:00.001-04:00

A day of surprise, a day of sadness, but ultimately a day of understanding.

To those running the Green Bay Packers football operations, no one really expected quarterback Brett Favre to retire, not after coming off a near-MVP season in which he led the team to a 13-3 record and within an eyelash of a Super Bowl appearance less than two months ago.

And it's still hard to fathom that Favre, who informed Head Coach Mike McCarthy on Monday night and General Manager Ted Thompson on Tuesday of his retirement plans, won't be quarterbacking Green Bay this fall for the first time since September of 1992.

But both Thompson and McCarthy expressed on Tuesday that they understood the future Hall of Famer's decision, considering the tremendous extent to which he cares about his play, his team, and the undying effort required at age 38 to make both as successful as possible.

"He pours everything he has into being a professional football player, everything," Thompson said. "And that is a draining exercise, and certainly those of us around it, around professional football players, understand and appreciate that."

So Favre goes out on his own terms, with essentially every meaningful career passing record, still able to play at a high level and with teammates and a legion of fans wanting him to return.

But having expressed to McCarthy that he's "mentally tired" of all the preparation - some of it monotonous, some of it truly taxing - to be able to play another season, it seemed to Favre to be time for the next stage of his life, whatever that may be.

"Mentally tired was the constant," said McCarthy, who has spoken to Favre roughly weekly since the season ended with the overtime loss to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship.

"Last week's conversation really was a very good analogy of what he goes through. We talked about practice one day for about 20 minutes on the phone - the importance of the quarterback at practice, the importance of how he needs to keep his tempo at a very high level, a lot of little things that quarterbacks have to do that I don't think even his teammates are aware of. It's just the combination of the little things day in and day out that kind of wears on him."

McCarthy's regular conversations with Favre ran the gamut, from talking idly about the weather, to discussing all the pros and cons of continuing to play, to reflecting on how important it was to Favre for his youngest daughter, Breleigh, to see him playing championship-caliber football.

McCarthy said Favre first mentioned the word "retirement" when they talked last Thursday, but even then the head coach thought his quarterback was still coming back.

Ultimately the decision, though, was not about the state of the team, the makeup of the roster, or the belief in his abilities. It was about whether Favre could dedicate himself fully to the work required to live up to his own standards of elite play, even if millions of devoted fans would take Favre at less than his MVP-best for another year or two.

"Brett's a professional football player, one of the finest if not the finest that I've ever seen," Thompson said. "He wants to know a couple of things. Do you still want me, and can I still play? Obviously both Mike and I were very positive in that regard and said definitely we do.

"After having said that, then there are other factors that weigh into his decision-making process, and like I say, it's a very complicated thing, especially (for) one that has the experience and has played for such a long time at such a high level and has those expectations all the time."

To Favre, whose only public comments Tuesday came via a voice-mail message left with ESPN reporter Chris Mortensen, anything less than a Super Bowl championship would not be worth the effort it would take to play an 18th season in the NFL and 17th in Green Bay.

Favre clearly gave that effort in 2007, and by no means was he satisfied with the outcome. But perhaps in the end he knew either that was the most he could truly give, or that another run under self-induced all-or-nothing pressure would be too much to bear, or both.

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"His daily preparation was outstanding, his weekly preparation was outstanding," McCarthy said of this past season. "I think that would be normal of any champion to push himself to the limits to win another championship. Using the word stress or however you want to describe it, I think a better word to describe Brett is passion. He's an extremely passionate person, and you could see it in his preparation and you always saw it in his performance on the field."

That performance transcended an unforgettable era, whose memories were savored by many on Tuesday. From his no-timeouts-left diving score to qualify for the playoffs in the final game at Milwaukee County Stadium in 1994 to his helmet-raised sprint around the New Orleans Superdome after a first-quarter TD pass in Super Bowl XXXI to his first-play-of-overtime game-winning 82-yard heave on a Monday night in Denver this past October, and always amidst a backdrop of personal trials and tragedy, Favre captured the hearts of generations of fans with his dramatics and triumphs.

"Quite frankly, I think it's the little boy in all of us," Thompson said. "I think he plays the game like you would if you were in a backyard and you were wearing Wrangler jeans. He loves to play the game. He loves the competition. I can't say he loves getting hit, but he's OK with it. He understands that's part of the game. He's never been a fancy-pants quarterback that doesn't like to mix it up. He likes to play the game, and I think he appreciates the people who play the game alongside of him. And I think people can relate to that."

So with that, the Packers move on to the Aaron Rodgers era, but that's a topic for another day. For now there's an inescapable void, both within the leadership of the Green Bay Packers and within the hearts of fans everywhere, that will be difficult if not impossible to fill, but one that at the same time is marveled at for its magnitude.

"I know the fans are absolutely devastated today," Thompson said. "The Packers will move forward, but certainly we've all been blessed to see this man play this game the way he played it."

First Week Solo Complete...all is well!!

2008-03-10T16:28:00.001-04:00

I absolutely love my new job with the Department of Corrections. It is hugely challenging and the amount of overtime that I am working is somewhat crippling (twenty hours last week alone) but every minute is different from the one that preceded it…unlike IBM which was a monotonous drudge of day-in-day-out with no changes whatsoever.
I supervise upwards of thirty inmates by myself in a living unit which is 12 cells and a dayroom. I have an office within the unit where I handle the paperwork and observe the unit from. I also continually patrol the unit for illicit activity, contact or contraband (tobacco, etc.). The first day I worked a unit by myself, I will admit it, I was terrified. But as the first three weeks have ended, I am more and more building a rapport with the offenders I supervise. This is not to say they are my friends, I am well aware of the chasm that separates me from the inmates.
For example, the other day, I had an inmate disobey my request to turn off the television during headcount. He told me to go “**** myself,” and would not do it. I immediately issued him a DR, which is a Disciplinary Report. The DR is submitted to higher officers within the DOC which make a ruling on the DR and issue sanctions to the inmate.
I issued another inmate a DR as well for using “abusive language toward or in the presence of staff or volunteers,” again while he was in the midst of disobeying an order. We also have a point system where an inmate can earn up to ten points a day for achieving certain goals…hygiene, interpersonal relations and conduct. These ten points go towards moving out of a lower Living Unit into a privilege unit.
I absolutely love my new job. It is where I was meant to be.

The Gym and other tales of horror

2008-03-07T05:37:00.002-05:00

Hello all:

Sorry I haven't written in so long...been extremely busy with the new job responsibilities. I am primarily working ion the "Delta" unit which is a housing unit for 32 inmates. I run the unit by myself during my shift and am responsible for contraband issues, room inspections and maintaining discipline throughout the unit. Discpiline is maintained through two different processes; Disciplinary Reports (DRs) or "Points." Each inmate "earns" up to 10 points a day, by mainting personal hygiene, having good interpersonal relationships with each other and with the Officer in the unit, making his bed, doing cleaning duties etc. Points are taken away by the CO for failing to do any of these objectives. DRs are for more serious infractions including possession of tobacco, being in rooms other than their own, etc...it can be very challenigng. You are an authority figure and babysitter all at the same time. If you lose a certain number of points, you are removed from this somewhat privileged situation and sent back to a unit called the "Gym." Ahhh, the Gym. This is a Unit straight from Hell.
The Gym is for new intakes as well as inmates who have failed in their privilege units for any of a variety of reasons and have to start earning points all over again. A large open room with sixteen bunkbeds, it hosts 34 inmates and one CO. It was the hardest eight hours I ever experienced in my life. More on the Gym later...

Last day of training

2008-03-01T11:30:00.001-05:00

Tonight is my last night of OJT training. I did some high security escorts to the Alpha pod, and I did strip and pat searches in the booking area as well...I have already developed an enemy as well.Ah well, it's part of the game. I have also signed up for OT, which means tonight will be a twelve-hour shift. Wish me luck.

Day 6 of OJT

2008-02-26T08:26:00.002-05:00

Tonight I arrived to work another OJT day at 2330, only to find out that they had changed my schedule to 1530. No big deal, said the Supervisor because I showed up for when I had originally been scheduled to work. Tonight I was a Floater which means I basically spend the night doing interior and exterior perimeter checks, serving meals in the Segregation Wing and conducting pat searches and strip searches in the booking area. Only a few days left for training, and then I will be assaulted with all sorts of overtime. I'm looking forward to it.

Day 5 of OJT

2008-02-23T00:35:00.003-05:00

Tonight I worked the Second Shift in the Charlie/Bravo unit, which is on the men's side (Bravo) a working unit, where the inmates go out during the day and work at various jobs and return in the evening where they are stripsearched and locked in for the night. The Charlie unit, which is completely removed from the Bravo Unit is a women's unit which house women who are temporarily being held there (i.e. serving weekend sentences). A lot of running back and forth. I have one more week of jumping around on the schedules including two shifts on Third Shift, two on First Shift and then my final OJT Day on Second Shift.
I must say that this was the smartest thing I ever did, leaving IBM and taking this job. It is interesting, demanding and every single moment is different from the one before it. There is no downtime.
I went into IBM last night after work to resign from the company. My manager, who has been very supportive of this endeavor began the paperwork. It should be all done next week.

Day 4 of OJT

2008-02-22T01:41:00.003-05:00

Sorry I didn't blog yesterday, but was very busy. Today I worked in the Close Custody Unit, which has nine cells with a total population (at capacity) of twenty-two inmates. This unit allows the residents to be out of their cells for 3 1/2 a day, and locked in for the rest. Only half the cells are open at any given time. It gets a little crazy sometimes. I did well I think, and the feedback I got back from my trainer was positive, saying I needed to practice my radio skills some more. I agree. Tomorrow, I work in the Furlough Unit and then next week I work a couple of days on Third Shift. two days on First Shift, and one on Second---then I will be moving to Second Shift for the foreseeable future.

Day 2 of OJT

2008-02-19T20:27:00.002-05:00

A busy day today...worked in the Privileges Unit, where all the inmates have work, whether it be in the kitchen, laundry etc. It was VERY busy, with constant comings and goings of inmates going to their various jobs. This of course required almost constant logbook entries and it got a little frantic, while combined with headcounts and room inspections. Also did about four patsearches on inmates returning from art class. A challenging day, but what I expected.

First Day

2008-02-18T17:07:00.003-05:00

Things went well today, I worked in the Echo Unit which is a Protective Custody Unit. Very quiet. I learned how to do head counts, room inspections, chow call, rec call and some radio protocol. I wrote a facsimile Incident Report for the practice and mostly just asked questions of my Field Training Officer. I think it went well.

Stickin' with the Big Man

2008-02-17T19:53:00.001-05:00

I'm sticking with St. Michael. Nobody messes with him.

Patron Saint of Corrections Officers III

2008-02-17T19:51:00.001-05:00

Michael the Archangel

Memorial: 29 September
8 May - Apparition of Saint Michael and Protector of Cornwall
Profile: Archangel. Leader of the army of God during the Lucifer uprising. Devotion is common to Muslims, Christians and Jews with writings about him in all three cultures. Considered the guardian angel of Israel.

The feast of the Apparition of Saint Michael commemorates the 6th century appearance of the archangel on Mount Gargano near Manfredonia in southern Italy. Michael requested a church built in his honor at the site. If you find medals or holy cards with 'relics' of Michael, they are probably rock chips from the cave, or pieces of cloth that have touched it.
Born: not applicable
Died: hasn't
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Name Meaning: Who is like God? (the battle cry of the heaven forces during the uprising)
Patronage: against temptations; ambulance drivers; artists; bakers; bankers; banking; Basey, Samar, Philippines; battle; boatmen; Brecht, Belgium; Brussels, Belgium; Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico; Caltanissett, Sicily; Castel Madama, Italy; Cerveteri, Italy; diocese of Coimbatore, India; Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel; coopers; Cornwall, England; danger at sea; Dormagen, Germany; Dunakeszi, Hungary; dying people; emergency medical technicians; EMTs; England; fencing; Germany; Greek Air Force; greengrocers; grocers; haberdashers; hatmakers; hatters; holy death; Iklin, Malta; diocese of Iligan, Philippines; knights; mariners; milleners; archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama; Naranjito, Puerto Rico; Papua, New Guinea; paramedics; paratroopers; diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida; police officers; Puebla, Mexico; radiologists; radiotherapists; sailors; diocese of San Angelo, Texas; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Sant'Angelo Romano, Italy; Saracinesco, Italy; archdiocese of Seattle, Washington; security forces; security guards; Sibenik, Croatia; sick people; Siegburg Abbey; soldiers; Spanish police officers; diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts; storms at sea; swordsmiths; Umbria, Italy; watermen; Zeitz, Germany
Prayers: Prayer I to...,
Prayer II to...,
Prayer III to...,
...for Help Against Spiritual Enemies,
Prayer V to...,
Novena Prayer to...,
Police Officer's Prayer to...
Litary to...
Representation: banner; dragon; scales; sword
Images: Saint Michael's Church, Charlestown, IN, Gallery of images and links
Gallery of images of Michael the Archangel [64 images, 1,095 kb]
Storefront: Commercial Links related to Michael the Archangel
Commercial Links related to military religious items
Additional Information: Goffine's Devout Instructions
Google Directory
Christian Biographies, by James E Kiefer
Catholic Online
The Saints, by John Coulson
Lives of the Saints, by John J Crawley
Catholic Encyclopedia
For All The Saints, by Katherine Rabenstein
New Catholic Dictionary
Print References: Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints

Patron Saint of Corrections Officers II

2008-02-17T19:49:00.001-05:00

Hippolytus of Rome

Also known as

Hippolytus of Porto; Ippolito

Memorial

13 August

Profile

Third century Roman soldier assigned to guard Christian prisoners. Converted by them to the faith. Martyred for assisting at the burial of some his martyred charges.

Due to a clerical error, Hippolytus was inadvertenly listed as two people, Hippolytus of Rome and Hippolytus of Porto, on some calendars. The second entry had the feast day of 22 August. This problem was corrected in the calendar revision of 1969.

Died

strapped to two wild horses who were then turned loose to drag him to death; collected body fragments buried along the Via Tiburtina, Rome, Italy

Name Meaning

loose horse

Patronage

Bibbiena, Italy; horses; prison guards; prison officers; prison workers

Representation

horses

Patron Saint of Corrections Officers

2008-02-17T19:48:00.002-05:00

Adrian of Nicomedia

Also known as: Hadrian of Nicomedia
Memorial: 8 September (Roman calendar); 26 August (Greek calendar)
Profile: Pagan officer and body guard at the imperial court of Nicomedia. He was so impressed by the strength and faith shown by persecuted Christians that he declared himself a Christian, though he had not even been baptized. He was immediately arrested and tortured. He and fellow prisoners were tended by his wife, Saint Natalia until they were executed.
Died: hacked to pieces on 4 March 304; body burned, but when a storm extinguished the fire his wife salvaged his hand as a relic, and took it to Argyropolis near Constantinople; other relics at Grammont (Geertsbergen), Belgium
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Name Meaning: of Hadrian, Italy
Patronage: against plague; arms dealers; butchers; plague; plague epidemics; prison guards; soldiers
Print References: Dictionary of Saints, by John Delaney
Nuttall Encyclopaedia

First Day On The Job Tomorrow

2008-02-17T19:14:00.003-05:00

Well, all is done and I report for duty tomorrow morning at 0730 hours. I will be doing On The Job Training for the next two weeks, and will start with a stint in the Echo unit, followed by House 1, House 2, Foxtrot and the Bravo Unit. The schedule for now will rotate between first shift (0730-1530) and second shift (1530-2330). I am looking forward to it all, of course there is a little nervousness. I believe I can do this job...only time will tell.
A piece of good news: at the graduation, the security director of my facility informed me that my employment status has been converted from Temporary to Permanent. This means pension, union membership, 401k etc. I am on my way!

Thanks

2008-02-14T23:17:00.001-05:00

This one is for you, Dad. I miss you. I hope I made you proud.

Final test. Passed. I did it.

2008-02-14T19:43:00.000-05:00

Took the Fire Prevention exam today…didn’t get back exact score, but definitely passed it. Then to the smokehouse…completely white with smoke, literally a three foot visibility. My partner and I began a right hand sweep which is me trailing my right hand along the wall, while my partner holds my left wrist at arm’s length and sweeps the floor with a flashlight…we found the mannequin hidden behind a barrel and I contacted the Supervisor via throatmike and informed her victim was found and the body was being brought out.

I passed. The last test.

I am now a CO.

Passed another exam...only one left!

2008-02-13T16:10:00.002-05:00

I took an exam on Emergency Preparedness today that included information about hostage situations and prison riots and the chain of command that exists at that time. We examined the 1991 Montana State Prison Max riot that left five dead as well as other scenarios. I scored at 96 on it. Pretty good considering I missed 90 minutes of the class because I had to go back to the hospital. Tomorrow is Fire Prevention and the Smokehouse.

Diagram of Injury

2008-02-13T07:11:00.002-05:00

For those interested, here is a chart of the muscle damage...as you can see, it is the muscle directly above the Achilles that has a slight tear in the sheath covering it. Knock on wood, it could have been much much worse.

False Alarm! All is well!!!

2008-02-12T17:28:00.000-05:00

WRONG! WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! The orthopedic surgeon told me it was just a small tear in the sheath over the calf muscle. It will heal itself in a week or so. I did a little praying…I guess it helped.

Leg injury is in fact serious

2008-02-12T11:47:00.000-05:00

Well it turns out that my painful left calf was in fact, potentially a partially ruptured Achilles Tendon or Cellulitis. They performed a ultrasound at the ER last night and it showed a large hematoma behind the left calf muscle. At first they thought it was a blood clot, but tests proved negative. I have no pain, I can put weight on the foot and climb stairs easily. They have me in a walking cast, and I am using crutches until I see the orthopedic surgeon today to determine my fate. I still have the smokehouse to get through. I WILL complete that. As for when I will be starting my new job, well we’ll see.

2008-02-11T16:31:00.000-05:00

Today was Contraband and Shakedowns; scored a 100 on the Contraband exam and then participated in a four-man shakedown team, shaking down a cell with an “inmate” in it. While the other three Officers shook down the cell, I pat searched the inmate and unfortunately missed a shank he had hidden on him, due to some distraction techniques he used on me. I moved him to the door of the cell and informed him he was welcome to watch as long as he was not disruptive and he did not speak to the officers during the search.

Of course he was obnoxious, and continued to be verbally abusive whereupon I ordered him to the hallway outside of the cell. I should have removed him from the area entirely since he was argumentative and disruptive. I only stood and watched the inmate during the search in the “Interview” position, until the search was completed. One error we had was when an officer bent over in front of the inmate to examine a pile of blankets, thus becoming vulnerable to an attack by the inmate.

We then practiced the graduation ceremony a couple of times and it went well. I worked with the Trainees who have to retest on UOF on Wednesday, and we will practice tonight at 1800 hours again. They will pass, I am sure of it. I will make sure of it.

Penguin Plunge

2008-02-10T12:04:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention that I went home for the Penguin Plunge this weekend. Although I didn’t plunge myself this year (didn’t want to get sick with one week left in the Academy) I went down with the Elks Lodge Plungers and took pictures. A good turnout, we had about sixteen or seventeen Plungers this year.

Use Of Force Week, Day 5 & Wrapup

2008-02-10T11:59:00.001-05:00

Sorry that I didn’t wrap up UOF Week on Friday…just wanted to get out of Dodge and go home for the weekend. We got called back to the gym at 1600 hours to run another cell extraction simulation. Quite interesting. These instructors definitely went home with some major bruises.

Well, I passed the written exam for Use Of Force with a 96. When I took the Practical, I actually failed two sections; Ground Handcuffing Position and Compliant Handcuffing. Both fails were a mere matter of adjusting my hand positions so I was either controlling the “inmate” with either a hand or the cuffs themselves. I passed both when I retested. Some others in the class were not so fortunate, so I have returned from Burlington early today in order to help them prepare for their retest on Tuesday. They really need to pass at that time. I will do what I can to assist.

Tomorrow begins the final week of this Academy. We will be covering Contraband, Searches and Emergency Preparedness. I was fitted along with the other Trainees with a SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) and we will be entering a “smokehouse” this week to find and recover a 180 pound mannequin and drag him out of the house. Should be fun.

Use Of Force, Day 4

2008-02-07T16:43:00.001-05:00

Totally exhausted again today. We had to “pay” for someone leaving their radio at the gym by performing squats, pushups and leg lifts. Then it was rear wristlock-supported cuffings, takedowns and more hand-cuffing after that. I was handcuffed about thirty or forty times today and with my wrists, my arms were usually cranked up between my shoulder blades.
Then it was one to cell extraction simulations. I was the “shield man”, carrying a Plexiglas shield with which I pinned the inmate to the wall while my wingmen pinned his arms to the wall. On the next simulation, I was “leftwing” and captured the inmate’s right arm in a front wristlock, and he sent me flying out of the cell. Very tough day. Cuts and bruises everywhere. Bloody knees, wrists are all chopped up from handcuffing, matburn on my forehead and generally had the **** beaten out of me all day. Written exam on Use of Force at 0830, then practical exam where I have to demonstrate all the various locks and handcuffing techniques. Very tired. Discouraged. But only one more week.

I’ll make it.

Graduation Practice

2008-02-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

We practiced for our graduation last night…lots of “about-faces” and “ten-huts”. For someone who was never in the military, it is difficult, but I look forward to wearing the gray.

Use Of Force, Day 3 (Part II)

2008-02-06T15:50:00.000-05:00

Wow. I am truly at a loss for words. All I can say, is that if a police officer orders you to do something and tells you that you will be sprayed if you do not comply---COMPLY. A truly agonizing experience. First, they lined up three of us and ordered us to close our eyes. At that point, they deployed the OC spray and ordered us to wait for five seconds and then open our eyes. We then moved forward with a set of handcuffs to cuff another Trainee who was in the compliant position (leaning forward with arms behind him with thumbs up). Then we were assisted by another Trainee to a PVC pipe with holes drilled in pumping water upwards, where we rinsed our eyes continually for two or three minutes. Your nose runs continually and you also weep uncontrollably. For some, the addition of dry-heaving and vomiting added to the carnival-like atmosphere which included ten or twelve zombie-like figures staggering around the vicinity prying their eyes open with their fingers while mucous and tears stream down their faces. A glorious afternoon indeed.

By the way, we had two more resignations today, Eighteen left, with seven days left in the Academy.

Use Of Force, Day 3 (Part I)

2008-02-06T11:40:00.000-05:00

We finished up the morning session with a lecture and an exam on the use of OC, scored a 100. At 12:30 today, I get sprayed. Took all sorts of advice from previous spray recipients such as drinking milk (expectorant) and keeping my hands at my sides and do not rub my face. Pictures will be taken, so stand by for those.

Use Of Force, Day 2

2008-02-05T18:06:00.000-05:00

An exhausting day today…out of the classroom and into the gym. Today we practiced compliant and non-compliant escorts, front and rear wristlocks, handcuffing compliant inmates both standing and kneeling, high, medium and low blocks, palm heel strikes, knee strikes, edge-fist, horizontal forearm blocks, outside blocks, middle blocks, shin rake kick, front kicks and other techniques. My wrists are all black and blue from handcuffing practice and we finished this most delightful day by a nine-station course where we used each technique for fifteen seconds without stopping and then ran to the next station.

Tomorrow we get pepper sprayed. Many people here who have experienced firsthand tell me that they would rather be tasered than go through pepper spray again. The plan is to get sprayed, then you will be escorted by someone to an “inmate” where you will perform a compliant handcuffing action on them. This is all before the pepper spray is rinsed out of your eyes. Should be a lot of fun.

Use Of Force, Day 1

2008-02-04T16:26:00.001-05:00

Use of Force started today, and we got right into it. Of course, I won’t be able to get into a lot of details as to the exact things we learned, but we discussed when force may be used, prohibitions on the use of course, levels and types of force, potential for deadly force, perception factors, special circumstances that mitigate use of force, the use of force continuum, how to handle pregnant inmates, disabled, infirm or injured inmates, SMI (seriously mentally ill), pre-attack cues, sucker punch indicators, officer’s body language,Vermont Law, the Civil Rights Act, Qualified Immunity, Case Law Hierarchy.

And so New York explodes...

2008-02-03T22:18:00.001-05:00

Not a big fan of either team, but I will say that a lot of my friends are Giants fans so congrats…and I don’t mind seeing the “invincible” Patriots go down in flames.

Curriculum

2008-02-03T21:13:00.001-05:00

OK, here’s the curriculum this week:

Use of Force
Cell Extraction Protocol
Use of Foreign Agents
Use of Restraints
Searches
Oleoresin Capsicum (Pepperspray)
Escapes
Emergency Preparedness

Use Of Force Begins...NOW

2008-02-03T10:25:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning begins the most difficult week at this Academy...Use of Force. I start the day off with stretching at 6am, and then to class where we will cover restraints, takedown, cell extraction and on Wednesday, I will be sprayed in the face with "O.C." (oleoresin capsicum). Apparently, we use a 10% concentration, while the military uses a 22% concentration.

Pepper spray (also known as OC spray (from "Oleoresin Capsicum"), OC gas, capsicum spray, or oleoresin capsicum) is a lachrymatory agent (a chemical compound that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain, and even temporary blindness) that is used in riot control, crowd control, and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears. It is a non-lethal agent that can be deadly in rare cases. The American Civil Liberties Union documented fourteen fatalities from the use of pepper spray as of 1995.[1] The active ingredient in pepper spray is capsaicin, which is a chemical derived from the fruit of plants in the Capsicum genus, including chiles. Long-term effects of pepper spray have not been effectively researched.
The HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) method is used to measure the amount of capsaicin within pepper sprays. Scoville Heat Units (SHU) are used to measure the hotness of pepper spray.
A synthetic analogue of capsaicin, pelargonic acid vanillylamide (desmethyldihydrocapsaicin), is used in another version of pepper spray known as PAVA spray which is used in England. Another synthetic counterpart of pepper spray, pelargonic acid morpholide, was developed and is widely used in Russia. Its effectiveness compared to natural pepper spray is unclear and it has caused some injuries.
Pepper spray typically comes in canisters, which are often small enough to be carried or concealed in a pocket or purse. Pepper spray can also be bought concealed in items such as rings. There are also pepper spray projectiles available, which can be fired from a paintball gun. Having been used for years against demonstrators [2], it is increasingly being used by police in routine interventions.[3]

Yet another passed...

2008-01-31T16:34:00.000-05:00

Took a test on Drug Identification and Basic Signs, passed with a 100.

Looooooong couple of days.

2008-01-31T11:51:00.000-05:00

Two exams yesterday, passed them both. We had one exam today on “Offender Classification,” and passed that one as well.
We played dodge ball today at 6AM of which I was the champion three times in a row (Last Man Standing!) and the hamstring felt pretty good. I talked to one of my classmates who is an EMT and he suggested wrapping the calf, and to thoroughly stretch out in the mornings before PT and next week during Use Of Force Week. I CANNOT afford to let it slow me down next week. Big push coming up and I must be ready.
Yesterday was unpleasant, but gave me an idea of things to focus on for the future. I think I need my hearing check…I know I am loud, and maybe it has something to do with my years as a DJ.
I worked on the class speech last night for about an hour or so with Mr. C, and I think it is shaping up nicely. It will be a bit more serious than I had envisioned, but I like the tone of it that is emerging. No readers of this blog get to read it until Graduation Day. The Graduation by the way is at 11AM on Friday, February 15th at the College of St. Joseph in Rutland, Vermont. Here is the URL of the campus address if you are interested in attending:

http://www.csj.edu/

Talk with you soon…

Another one leaves

2008-01-29T17:05:00.000-05:00

Another resignation today---down to twenty Trainees.

::Sigh::

2008-01-29T17:02:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhh….another difficult day. A long session on PREA (Prisoner Rape Elimination Act) and another exam on Staff Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment. Score: 94. Too tired and P.O.ed to write more.
I feel like I am hitting a wall. It's probably that I am just feeling sorry for myself. It's all good. No worries.

The exams continue unabated...

2008-01-28T16:10:00.000-05:00

Today we had two exams: Offender Discipline and Offender Grievances. I believe I did well on both. The units required role-playing scenarios and the writing of Incident Reports and the issuance of various DRs (Disciplinary Reports). It wasn’t too bad.
Picked up my new uniforms on Friday, and they look pretty sharp, although the pants have not come in yet. We practiced marching again, with the emphasis being on making turns, which for the few of us without police or military experience has proven difficult. I am beginning to work on my speech, but have barely scratched the surface. More later.

Back At School

2008-01-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

Well, back at the Academy today and a big week ahead with study subjects including Offender Grievance Process, Due Process, Discipline, Restrictive Housing Status, Staff Sexual Misconduct, Prisoner Rape Elimination Act, Sexual Harassment, Working With Female Offenders, Offender Classification, Basic Drug ID, and First Aid/CPR.
Hopefully things will get a little easier now, but another classroom week with Use Of Force coming on Week 4 instead of 3. I promised my sister-in-law I’d baby-sit my niece and nephew on Saturday so Friday I have to drive to Burlington, get my paycheck and drive back to Rutland on Saturday ::sigh::. You do what ya gotta do.
Brain-drain is almost complete…ACT info has started to clear out a little bit…I’m just glad it is over.

Success!!!

2008-01-25T12:45:00.001-05:00

I passed the exam! I passed the exam! I PASSED THE EXAM!!!!! Scored almost perfectly on the verbal exam (-1), and flunked the written test with a 77. I didn’t believe it and reviewed the test and it had been graded incorrectly and I ended up passing it with an 81.

Elected Class Speaker

2008-01-24T16:10:00.000-05:00

I have been elected class speaker. One would (as I said before) consider this a compliment but I know better. My new nickname is “Loudspeaker”. We have already come up with a list of words not to be used:

Acquiesce
No-aquiescence
Institutional Toxicity

Nicknames of various Trainees include:

Toxic Bob
Firestarter
Twitch
Hightower
McLovin’
Hootenanny
Only Barnes Can Kill Barnes
Pucker

Stay tuned…

Here comes Hell Week!

2008-01-23T17:15:00.001-05:00

ARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!! (Virtual Scream)—Things are just nuts here…32 hours of class time this week studying the dreaded and much-reviled ACT test. Fifty oral questions, fifty multiple choice questions and eight role playing scenarios based on the eight different ACT Skill Sets: Intuition, Feedback, Cooperation, Direction, On Track, Listening, Clarity and Cognitive-Reflective Communications. Additional memorization of the eight aspects of the Behavioral Continuum: Community, Productivity, Recreation, Agitated, Disruptive, Destructive, Dangerous and Threat Of Lethal. Add to this Assessments of each behavior, Translation of each behavior, Descriptive of each behavior, and affect and I am in hell.
This is the make-or-break week.

Today I responded as Delta Squad Leader to a code 10-33 which is “emergency, officer needs assistance.” In this case it was a simulated suicide attempt. I was the last arriving CO and was charged with securing the area. The inmate was “dead” by the time I arrived. It gets the adrenaline flowing though.

Don’t look for too many more blogs tomorrow…I will be studying late night. I’ll try to post good news (if I get it) on Friday.

Poem For My Father

2008-01-22T20:07:00.000-05:00

Why couldn’t you wait?
It wasn’t time yet.
We needed a sit-down

a parlay, as it were.
It was all about negotiation but
you

jumped the gun.
I wait for you to get back
to return,

to come back from some
unnamed vacation, some voyage of meaning
but it’s not happening

is it?

P.S. The leg

2008-01-22T17:57:00.001-05:00

Much better today. Fat, lazy and walking on ice is bad combo for rugby-weakened knees.

What a day! Behavior Continuums is not a heavy metal band

2008-01-22T17:50:00.000-05:00

Heavy duty ACT training today…huge overload of inmate-CO interaction modeling. Sounds fun, right? Well here’s the breakdown:

We studied the Behavior Continuum, which analyzes different levels of inmate behaviors and their eventual escalations from Agitated, Disruptive, Destructive, Dangerous and Threat Of Lethal. These are labeled as Antisocial. The Pro-social behaviors are identified as Community, Productivity and Recreation. Once these behavior are identified we move into a reactive system known as Cooperation Modes which includes various methods of inducing cooperative behavior which includes Approach, Greeting, Announce, Direct and some other stuff...(ran out of steam right there). All of this stuff is contained in endless role-playing scenarios where the CO attempts to compel an inmate still in Agitated or Disruptive mode to follow commands without the CO using words like “need” or personalizing his/her commands as the inmate doing the CO a favor by following his commands. It allows the inmate to “choose” the right thing to do. This is all very complex and quite exhausting.
This is by far the meat of this training program, and the absolute must-pass course. Fifty questions and twenty scenarios or something like that.
By the way, I argued the class’s position on the test question I mentioned yesterday and the instructor reversed his position and gave everyone the five points. That gave me a hundred, but was much more important for those in the class who would have failed the test otherwise.
A rumor is afoot that the class wants me to be the class speaker. Flattered at first, until it was revealed that the reason was because I am the loudest and talk the most. Ouch.

New Average: 97.24%

INJURY!

2008-01-21T21:10:00.000-05:00

I knew everything was going too well. I was walking back from class today and felt something like I was kicked in the back of my left calf. I am limping badly. I am hoping it is just a really bad charley horse that will loosen up as the week goes on. This week and next week are not important but the fourth week I need mobility to do Use of Force. I am stretching, soaking it in hot water and applying Icy Hot as well as ibuprofen. It hurts though. Bad.

Grades Update

2008-01-21T20:15:00.001-05:00

96.0% Average

Another victory---with reservations.

2008-01-21T17:49:00.000-05:00

Scored another 95 today on “Self-Harm”, however the one question I got wrong was ambiguous enough to warrant a debate with the instructor who was unyielding. Seeing as several classmates flunked the test merely because of that question, we are taking it to the mats tomorrow morning. Popped my calf walking back from class this morning…feels like a really bad charley horse. Maybe it will clear up later, I stretched it out and put ICY HOT on it. We’ll see. We started ACT Training today which is the really big one besides Use Of Force and encompasses CO-to-Inmate communications. Stay posted…

Promotion...or pain in the butt?

2008-01-21T07:02:00.000-05:00

Today is my first day as Squad Leader...doing room/uniform inspections. We'll see how this goes.

Giants 23, Packers 20

2008-01-20T22:26:00.000-05:00

It was evident early on that Al Harris could not handle Plaxico Burress by himself, yet the Packers never brought any help over to his side. I thought Brett played fairly well, as did the receivers. The running game sucked, but it sucked on both sides tonight. As far as our defense went, Corey Williams encroaching over and over and over again---especially when the Giants were third and short at our goal line and we committed four penalties. Pathetic. It’s one thing to play aggressively on D, but to pick up as many penalties as we did is unforgivable. And of course, Brett's reversion to recklessness resulting in the OT interception. I saw it coming.

Current Green Bay Conditions

2008-01-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

Current Conditions

Hour-by-Hour Forecasts »

0°F
Sunny

Real Feel: -18°F (-28°C)
Relative Humidity: 49%
Barometer: 30.50"Hg (F)

Wind: W at 11 mph (18 kph)
Visibility: 10 miles (16 km)
Sunrise: 7:22am Sunset: 4:45pm

Happy Birthday, Dad

2008-01-19T21:06:00.000-05:00

I love you and we all miss you.

National Weather Service Forecast for Green Bay: 2° to -3°

2008-01-19T11:15:00.000-05:00

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI
344 AM CST SAT JAN 19 2008

.SHORT TERM...TODAY/TONIGHT/SUNDAY.  NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WITH
ONGOING FCST THIS MORNING. BITTER COLD TEMPERATURES AND WIND
CHILLS THE MAIN EVENT THIS WEEKEND. EXPANDED WIND CHILL ADVISORIES
FOR THE ENTIRE FCST AREA TODAY THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY. EXPECT SOME
PORTIONS OF EC WI TO CLIMB OUT OF THE ADVISORY AREA THIS SAT AFTN
BUT WILL DROP BACK IN TONIGHT. SOME LOCATIONS OVER THE WESTERN
PORTION OF THE FCST AREA MAY JUST CLIMB INTO THE WARNING CRITERIA
AT TIMES THIS MORNING AND LATE TNT...BUT WINDS ALSO DROPPING BELOW
THE 10 MPH THRESHOLD.

THE AIR MASS IS SO DRY THAT EVEN LAKE SUPERIOR CLOUDS STRUGGLING
TO FILTER INTO NRN WI.  IN ADDITION WINDS TOO WESTERLY AND EVEN
LAKE EFFECT SNOWS EXPECTED TO BE MINIMAL OVER VILAS. THIS DRY AIR
COULD ALLOW TEMPS TO PLUMMET BELOW -20 OVER LOCATIONS WHERE WINDS
DECOUPLE FOR AT LEAST A FEW HOURS.

H8 TEMPS MODIFY A TAD ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON OVER SRN AREAS BUT WHAT
"WARMING" OCCURS MAY BE OFFSET FROM INCREASING HIGH CLOUDS FROM
THE SOUTH AS A SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTHWEST. SURFACE RIDGE
AXIS DRIFTS NORTH INTO THE AREA SUNDAY TO HELP DIMINISH WINDS AND
END WIND CHILL HEADLINES.

.LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT FRIDAY
A VERY COLD EVENING IS EXPECTED ON SUNDAY WITH LIGHT WINDS.
TEMPERATURES SHOULD FALL TO ZERO TO 5 BELOW BY MID EVENING. MODELS
YESTERDAY INDICATED A SYSTEM PASSING TO THE SOUTH OF THE AREA
ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT HAS SHIFTED FURTHER NORTH TONIGHT. THE
00Z WRF WAS FURTHER SOUTH WITH THE PRECIPITATION...BUT HAS TRENDED
NORTHWARD ON THE 06Z RUN TONIGHT. BASED ON THE SURFACE PATTERN OF
THE 06Z WRF...IT APPEARS THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE EVEN FURTHER
NORTH THAN WHAT THE MODEL IS SHOWING. THE SAME IS TRUE WITH THE
00Z GFS. HAVE GONE WITH SNOW LIKELY OVER THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF
THE FORECAST AREA...AND TAPERED SNOW CHANCES AS YOU HEAD NORTHWEST
OF GREEN BAY. BASED ON 850MB MOISTURE...SHOULD BE A FAIRLY SHARP
CUT OFF TO THE SNOW. DID NOT DRAW A SHARP CONTRAST IN SNOW CHANCES
AS THE MODEL WOULD DEPICT. OVER THE LAST 5 SIGNIFICANT SNOW
EVENTS...THE MODELS HAVE BEEN TOO FAR SOUTH AT 48 HOURS OF THE
EVENT COMPARED TO THE ACTUAL TRACK OF THE STORM. EXPECTED A FURTHER
SHIFT TO THE NORTH WITH THE STORM TRACK WHICH WOULD MEAN THE SNOW
WOULD SPREAD FURTHER NORTH THAN THE MODELS INDICATE TONIGHT.

CONTINUED SNOW CHANCES MONDAY NIGHT AS SYSTEM DEPARTS THE AREA.
BASED ON TEMPERATURE PROFILE OF THE SOUNDINGS...COULD BE A BAND
OF 2-4 INCHES ACROSS NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. LATER SHIFTS CAN DEFINE
WHERE THE HEAVIER BAND OF SNOW WILL SET UP.

A TRANQUIL PATTERN IS EXPECTED FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK WITH
BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES.
&&

.AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY.
&&

.MARINE...A FEW LAKESHORE LOCATIONS IN THE SCA RANGE DUE TO WINDS
THIS AM SO WILL LET CURRENT SCA HEADLINE RUN ITS COURSE TODAY.

&&

.GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND CHILL ADVISORY UNTIL 12 PM CST SUNDAY FOR WIZ005-010>013-
018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074.

Hell (for the Giants) has finally frozen over. It's name? Lambeau Field

2008-01-19T11:08:00.000-05:00

I’m all ready for gameday! And apparently the city of Green Bay is as well! The story in the news this morning is that a local affiliate in Green Bay has discovered that Eli Manning’s favorite TV show is “Seinfeld.” Knowing this, the affiliate has cancelled all their airings of the show for this week. Kinda funny. Michael Strahan of the Giants has responded by buying Eli the entire set of “Seinfeld” episodes and a DVD player for his hotel room. I love stuff like this.

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) - A local television station in Green Bay is doing its part in the gamesmanship war between the Packers and the New York Giants by scrubbing its usual showing of Seinfeld -- a favorite show of Giants quarterback Eli Manning -- on the eve of Sunday's NFC championship clash.

In a video on its Web site (myfoxnewisconsin.com), WLUK station general manager Jay Zollar points at the camera and says, "Eli, no Seinfeld for you!"

The station was asking viewers to vote on what should replace the popular comedy in the 5:30 p.m. slot on Saturday.

The early leader was a special on legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi.

"We do not want to give any comfort to the enemy when they are in town," Zollar says in the video message.

Giants veteran defensive end Michael Strahan was stunned when told of the Green Bay TV station's strategy.

"Do they realize they have Seinfeld DVDs? We can always watch Seinfeld," Strahan told reporters after practice on Thursday at Giants Stadium.

"If they think that's going to mess him up I've got to move to Green Bay. I could be very successful there with some of my ideas."

Although New Yorkers are legendarily fanatical about their sports teams, even the Daily News has conceded it will likely be the Packers who win on Sunday.

WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL

Quarterback vs. Defensive scheme:

The transformation of Eli Manning into a mistake-free quarterback is the biggest story of the Giants' season. After tying for the league lead with 20 INTs, Manning has yet to throw a pick in the postseason and has thrown eight TDs vs. one INT the last three games. Growing in confidence and aided by a less-complex game plan, Manning has engineered drives with more poise and vision than he has ever shown in his entire career. Now he must do it in adverse weather and against a balanced, physical defense. Manning has averaged just 22.5 passes in the first two playoff games, and the Packers defense, which is pretty stout against the run, will try to put the game in his hands by forcing him into third and long - Packer opponents were successful only 33% of the time converting on third down. Many feel the injury to Jeremy Shockey has Manning looking to more receivers and distributing the ball better. As a result, it hasn't been as easy to read his eyes and jump patterns. He still has to be careful, though. The Packers have experience at the corners and aggressiveness inside. Manning must know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.

EDGE: Giants

Running Backs vs. Linebackers

There is no mystery to what wins cold-weather games and, with Brandon Jacobs, the Giants feel they can run with anyone. What Jacobs will face, however, is an instinctive linebacking corps and a pretty good schemer in defensive coordinator Bob Sanders, who is probably going to stack the line to take away the run. It will be interesting to see how often the Giants run Jacobs behind FB Madison Hedgecock since MLB Nick Barnett fills holes and sheds blocks effectively, although some feel he can be worn down. OLB A.J. Hawk has been inconsistent, but has the speed to stay with TEs and RBs on passing plays and will be key in countering Ahmad Bradshaw when he's in the game. Green Bay's LBs practically had another bye week against Seattle, which ran the ball just 16 times. They'll be a lot busier on Sunday.

EDGE: EVEN

Wide Receivers and Tight End vs. Secondary

This is an in-your-face secondary, led by the best set of CBs - Charles Woodson and Al Harris - the Giants have faced. Woodson and Harris can each take on WRs by themselves, so the challenge will be to get at Green Bay's young and sometimes mistake-prone safeties. If they are looking for the pigeon they found in Dallas' Jacques Reeves last week, they may have one in nickel back Tramon Williams, who has recently inherited the position and doesn't always react well to the ball. Rookie WR Steve Smith has been playing a bigger role out of the slot each week and will be key in attacking Williams. The Giants have to be concerned that a season of playing on a bad ankle may have finally caught up to Plaxico Burress. While Burress had eight catches for 144 yards and three TDs against the Packers in Week 2, he was unable to shake free last week, leaving Amani Toomer as the go-to guy downfield. SS Atari Bigby is a big hitter who seems to be maturing. FS Nick Collins is more inconsistent and not a good tackler. Earlier in the season, they had problems with TEs - and big Kevin Boss is making timely contributions each week. EDGE: Packers

Offensive Line vs. Defensive Line

Except for sack specialist Aaron Kampman, the Packers D-line is made up of unsung guys who, like the Giants' O-line, are greater than the sum of its parts. The Packers use a seven-man rotation so they can't be worn down and they get contributions from all of them. These are not penetrators against the run but obstacles. DT Ryan Pickett is a typical no-name who absorbs double teams in the Pack's two-gapping system and efficiently funnels the run to the linebackers. The Giants' cohesive line seems to get better as the game goes on. It is efficient, athletic and communicates well, especially with C Shaun O'Hara flanked by agile guards Chris Snee and Rich Seubert. Their task will be to get bodies on the Packer LBs and pick up those run blitzes Green Bay sends. The Packers can put three outstanding pass rushers up front on third down by moving Cullen Jenkins inside and bringing Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila into the game. Kampman's matchup against Kareem McKenzie, the worse pass protector of the Giants' two tackles, is worrisome. EDGE: EVEN

WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL

Quarterback vs. Defensive scheme:

The Giants have what it takes to throw Brett Favre off his game, even if he did riddle them for 286 yards and three TDs in Week 2. The Cowboys made Favre look slow in their December showdown by collapsing the pocket. But beware: when he's dialed in, Favre is a blitz-killer and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo must make a critical choice in getting maximum pressure on Favre or protecting a thin secondary that the savvy future Hall of Famer can easily exploit. Spagnuolo has been generally aggressive all year, supplanting his four-man rush with an unpredictable multitude of zone blitzes, but against a less-mobile Favre he might decide to drop seven into coverage much of the time. Against Tony Romo, Spagnuolo sent everyone - CBs from the outside, LBs and safeties up the middle, knowing the Giants were going to live or die with their pressure. Favre's revival this year has been built on the best decision-making of his career. In the first game against the Giants he started the second half with 14 straight completions, almost all of them short passes. Against Seattle in the divisional round, he continued to play within himself and read every blitz. Favre's record in cold weather is unparalleled and if either Bayou-bred quarterback is going to conquer the elements, it's him. EDGE: Packers

Running Backs vs. Linebackers

The Giants could rue the day they traded Ryan Grant. Beginning in Week 8 against Denver, Grant single-handedly transformed the Packers offense into a balanced attack that can both wear you down and light you up. Only LaDainian Tomlinson had more yards than Grant in the second half of the season. The Giants were getting battered by the Cowboys' Marion Barber last week before they began swarming to the ball and started cutting him down at the knees. By the second half, Barber, unaccustomed to playing full games, appeared to get tired and the game swung. They'll need a similar commitment against Grant, who picked up 75 of his 201 yards after the Seahawks made contact. The old Packers' sweep is alive and well with Grant. He has shown surprising breakaway speed, as well, and was the fastest player in the snow last week. Maybe it all sounds like he's the second coming of Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor combined, but his impact on this offense and Favre's ability to play-fake can't be overstated. MLB Antonio Pierce must stay disciplined and continue to make the stops that have made him the leader of this defense. EDGE: Packers

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends vs. Secondary

Even if the Giants can get all their battered DBs onto the tundra, the Packers will be a matchup headache. Like last week, the Giants must prevent the big play against a deeper, healthier WR corps coached by former Giants player/coach Jimmy Robinson. Green Bay can spread the field with wideouts, including what they call their "Big Five" set when Favre works out of an empty backfield in the shotgun. That will require R.W. McQuarters to have another game of his life, Sam Madison to gut one out, if he plays, and novice Geoffrey Pope to somehow avoid being attacked like he did vs. the Cowboys. The Packers' top three WRs, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and rookie James Jones, are versatile. Jennings, who has taken over the No. 1 receiver role from Driver, is Favre's first big-play option and probably Corey Webster's difficult assignment after back-to-back weeks of Joey Galloway and Terrell Owens. Jennings, who can out-run Webster, abused Seattle's top corner, Marcus Trufant, when the Seahawks brought a safety up in the box to stop Grant. TE Donald Lee likes to get underneath zones in the middle, where he draws LB coverage, and is Favre's go-to guy while scrambling. The Giants have to be physical at the line as they disrupt all those West Coast slant patterns. EDGE: Packers

Offensive Line vs. Defensive Line

The Giants will win or lose the game here, as usual, although their edge over the Packers isn't as big as it was in Week 2 when offensive coordinator Joe Philbin called Green Bay's blocking "shoddy." While DEs Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan are scary matchups on the outside, the best place to exploit the Packers is inside. C Scott Wells is solid, but the play of LG Daryn Colledge (benched in the Dallas game) and RG Jason Spitz had been spotty, although the entire unit had its best performance while manhandling the Seahawks. That puts the spotlight on Justin Tuck, who comes up the middle in the Giants' three-DE formations. The Packers' tackles are good and helped limit sacks to one every 36 passing plays. They will try to pound the undersized Umenyiora and Strahan on running plays. LT Chad Clifton holds his own against speed rushers such as Umenyiora. RT Mark Tauscher, unorthodox but effective, held Strahan without a pressure in Week 2, but he'll face a more aggressive, less-rusty Strahan this time.

EDGE: Giants

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicking Games

Look back at some cold-weather games and how many of them are affected by special teams: the Sean Landeta "whiff" at Soldier Field, Willie Wood muffing a punt in the Ice Bowl. Packer punter Jon Ryan had one of those at Soldier Field this year when two punts were blocked, another went for nine yards and another snap was fumbled. Normally, Ryan provides his coverage teams with plenty of hang time. Mason Crosby, the Packers' rookie kicker, was 31 of 39 on the year with 14 touchbacks on kickoffs. For the Giants, Jeff Feagles remains a premier directional punter. Placekicker Lawrence Tynes has been steady, but hasn't had to make any clutch field goals.

EDGE: EVEN

Return Games and Coverage

The Giants have been getting good field position from their return men lately - see McQuarters' 25-yard return to set up the decisive 37-yard TD drive on Sunday - but these are by far the best coverage teams they will have faced in the playoffs. The Giants will probably prefer to kick to Tramon Williams than Koren Robinson (23.8-yard average). Giants gunner David Tyree leads a good tackling coverage team.

EDGE: Packers

COACHING

Give the Giants' coaching staff credit for having their team better prepared and more disciplined than Dallas. Spagnuolo was impressive again as he overcame injuries in the secondary to stifle a high-powered offense in the second half, going with his gut to make all the right calls. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride has to get props for putting Manning into a mistake-free mode the last three weeks, establishing a great pass/run mix. The Packers' meticulous Mike McCarthy might have been Coach of the Year if Bill Belichick wasn't 16-0. He calls the plays and seems to roll out a new game plan every week designed to exploit a team's weaknesses. Whatever Tom Coughlin is selling at the moment, his team is buying. He also has the vast edge in playoff experience over the 1-0 McCarthy. Oh-for-two with the Jaguars, this is Major Tom's third crack in a conference championship game. A charm or a trend? EDGE: Giants

OVERVIEW AND PREDICTION

Having beaten America's Team, the Giants move on to America's Quarterback, one of the feel-good stories of the year. This isn't Favre's first rodeo and one thing has been consistent about his career: the Packers live and die with that brawny right arm. Maybe this is too simple, but when you boil it down, the Giants must get to Favre before he gets to their secondary. Or, to put it another way, destinies seem to be colliding - the Giants on their improbable run, Favre on his magical season. It's a coin flip. This one comes up . . . PACKERS: 26-20

Boy, this columnist will need a bodyguard in New York!!!

As for myself, all wagers have been laid; my roommate at the Academy has bet me barracks chores for the rest of the Academy session; my next door neighbor bet me a pack of Marlboros and my stepfather has bet me dinner for two and a bottle of wine at this fantastic Brazilian restaurant back home.

It’s on. Ohhhhh, it’s on.

Another test passed...

2008-01-18T16:03:00.001-05:00

You know, back in college, if I had scored consistently in the nineties and above, I would have absolutely ecstatic. I mean, you only need an eighty on tests here to pass and so far I’ve scored:

Legal Apects of Correction 100%
Blood-borne Pathogens 94%
Suicide Prevention 95%

That gives me a 96.3% average.

And I feel disappointed! Crazy, I know. But on a higher note, apparently somewhere along the way I learned how to study for exams. I certainly didn’t learn it during college…

TB, MRSA, HBV, HCV, HIV and other Acronyms

2008-01-17T22:27:00.000-05:00

Most of the tests we take are written, although the test I took today was multiple choice. We got to see all sorts of footage of inmates flinging blood, feces and urine at CO’s, and then simulations of dealing with blood and other substances coming in contact with mucous membranes. I was actually surprised to learn how little infection arises from dirty needles poking skin…and that most bodily fluids or effluvia is considered mostly safe if blood is not present in the material. They still advise in investment in a pair of Teflon gloves---these are gloves you use during searches of Use of Force situations.
They have very few inmates in Vermont with the HIV virus and no HBV carriers, quite a few HCV carriers, few with AIDS and no TB carriers. They do have some concerns with a recent outbreak of MRSA which is this very nasty staph infection which is very antibiotic-resistant. These huge boil-like cysts appear on your skin. This one made the papers.
Fortunately, the State of Vermont offers free Hepatitis B inoculations…apparently it is a three-shot series and it’s free. I am definitely getting it.

Another day, another high score...

2008-01-17T18:52:00.000-05:00

Another good score today…We haven’t gotten the grades yet, but I believe I got another 100 on the “Blood-Borne Pathogens” test…the tests only get harder now. Up next is “Suicide Prevention” tomorrow, and then on Monday I take a test on “Self-Harm” before plunging headfirst into Advanced Communication Techniques (ACT) which is 40 hours of training in CO-Inmate interaction. A real b***buster. It involves simulations and role playing. A lot of stuff. Looking forward to the weekend---off to the Elks Club in Rutland on Sunday to watch the Packers kick the Giants’ asses.

The Christopher Williams case

2008-01-17T11:53:00.000-05:00

BURLINGTON — A murder suspect who had agreed to plead guilty in a 2006 school shooting refused to enter the plea Wednesday, telling a judge that he didn't understand its terms.

Prosecutors have responded by elevating the charges against Christopher A. Williams to one count of first-degree and two counts of attempted first-degree murder, and one count of aggravated murder, which carries with it a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole.

Williams, who is accused in the Aug. 24, 2006 shootings in Essex that killed two and wounded two others, first told Vermont District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford that he hadn't seen the affidavit accusing him. Later he said he didn't understand how prosecutors had arrived at the 48-years-to-life sentence.

The plea called for Williams to plead guilty to two counts of second-degree and one count of second-degree attempted murder.

Prosecutors said they would not enter into further plea deals. A trial will be scheduled for July.

After the hearing, Williams was escorted out of the courtroom and back to prison in St. Albans. Spectators huddled silently with prosecutors who explained to them what would happen next.

The hearing dragged on this morning as Williams insisted that he didn’t understand the plea agreement and consulted with attorneys as the whole courtroom watched and waited.

"I want to understand what I'm going forward with," Williams told the court. "I want to take this plea, but I want to understand it. I'm not going to take nothing that I don't know what's going on."

A crowd of more than 100 spectators packed the courtroom gallery. Many of them were Essex teachers who had previously met Williams and said they believed his actions this morning were a ruse.

Experienced state and defense lawyers attending today's hearing said they've never seen anything like it. Defense attorneys and prosecutors, in addition to the visibly anxious crowd, were frustrated with the pace of proceedings.

"We're concerned he doesn't understand it. We're concerned he is not accepting responsibility," said Prosecutor Mary Morrissey.

Part of the State's reason for negotiating the plea deal is to show Williams acknowledges the severity of the incident in Essex.

Aced the first test!!!

2008-01-17T11:44:00.000-05:00

Got the test results back today...scored a 100 on the Legal Issues exam. I have another exam today on Blood-Borne Pathogens and then a test on Self-Harm on Monday. On break now, then back to class to study Mental Health Issues...laws in Vermont state that if a SMI (Seriously Mentally Ill) inmate is incarcerated, he can spend no more than 15 days in Disciplinary Segregation no matter what. We also saw a rather shocking film on a man with bi-polar who was locked down in Seg in Michigan and eventually died of dehydration because the guards believed he was attempting to manipulate them rather than actually being ill.

More tests

2008-01-17T06:22:00.000-05:00

Today:

Exams on blood-borne pathogens and mental health issues. Speaking of which, I see on the news this morning that Chris Williams rejected his plea agreement. And so the beat goes on...

I never thought I'd be looking forward to something called "Use Of Force Week."

Sumthin' is amiss...

2008-01-17T05:35:00.001-05:00

Study until midnight and then up at 5:30AM so I can SHAVE? This is just not right...

It's a good thing I like to read...

2008-01-16T19:17:00.000-05:00

For those of us who thought corrections officers were baton-swinging thugs, here is tonight’s reading list for tomorrow:

Organizational Overview
Healthcare Policy
Blood-borne Pathogens
ADA Act
Legal Issues In Corrections
Self-Harm
Mental Health Directives 361.01, 361.01.01, 361.01.02, 361.01.03, 361.01.04, 361.01.05, 370
Key Control, Radio Procedures
Medical/Mental health
Communicable Diseases
Suicide Prevention

I miss marching.

Issues of Self-harm

2008-01-16T16:12:00.000-05:00

A brutal afternoon…we studied the issues involved with inmate self-harm---issues such as cutting, burning, picking/scratching at skin or reopening wounds, hair-pulling, head-banging, bone-breaking or swallowing objects.
Interestingly enough, it was pointed out to us that an inmate who successfully commits suicide could not necessarily have been identified as suicidal but rather they could have been someone who was intent on mere self-harm and ended up going too far. Basically, the concept driven home was don’t label the behavior, respond to it.

First exam finished!

2008-01-16T11:51:00.000-05:00

We had our first exam today…man, it’s been 17 years since college. It went as I expected…studied my ass off last night, got to the exam and then blanked. I recovered in time and think I did well. The exam covered search and seizure, probable cause for searches of inmate’s persons and cells and covered constitutional law covering prisoner’s rights in regard to cruel and unusual punishment, privacy, and practice of religion. Also what factors must be considered before you can initiate use of force against an inmate.

We also learned about a wonderful food item called Nutraloaf which is fed to inmates who assault a staff member with food trays. It contains 996 calories per loaf and is given to them three times a day until their behavior is considered modified.

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to try it:

• Six (6) slices Whole Wheat Bread, finely chopped
•
Four (4) ounces Non-dairy Cheese, finely grated
•
Four (4) ounces Raw Carrots, finely grated
•
Twelve (12) ounces Spinach, canned, drained
•
Four (4) ounces Seedless Raisins
•
Two (2) cups Great Northern Beans, cooked and drained
•
Four (4) tablespoons Vegetable Oil
•
Six (6) ounces Tomato Paste
•
Eight (8) ounces Milk, powdered, instant nonfat/skim
•
Six (6) ounces Potato Flakes, dehydrated

Blend it together and bake at 350 F

MMMMMMMM…good!

Another resignation

2008-01-15T16:41:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention that we lost another candidate yesterday....I guess she turned in her gear first thing this morning. I don't think that she really gave it a shot. Down to 21.

Supportive Authority and the Universal Steps of Engagement

2008-01-15T16:29:00.000-05:00

A full day today, indeed. Not much marching today, but we covered the three types of logbooks: facility, post and supervisory. The logbooks themselves are exhaustively filled out, and are considered legal documents that can be subpoenaed. We then moved on to an organizational overview of the Vermont prison system…apparently, it originated under the “Pennsylvania” model (thus the term ‘penitentiary’) which had inmates isolated in their own cells where they were expected to pray and make penance and made iron nails to pay for their keep. The next model which the system evolved to was called the “Auburn” model, which called for the inmates to be all together in a prison setting such as a workhouse.
We then examined the role of the Agency of Human Services which administers the DoC rather than the Department of Public Safety. This has resulted in a model of “direct-supervision” which has officers supervising housing units on-site rather than just monitoring them. We looked at the dual role of Corrections in implementing Risk Reduction versus Risk Control and discussed the ethics of Use of Force.
A lot to digest. The first test is tomorrow…

Left, right, left...huh?

2008-01-14T16:05:00.000-05:00

Up at 0530---a generally good crew here at the academy---Bob is the oldest at 43 which pisses him off to no end…I suggested the nickname “Old man”, which he immediately turned down. A bunch of younger kids---thankfully I am not the oldest one here. Bob at 43, another Bob at 42 and myself at 40 are the oldest.
There are a couple of youngsters here, but not too bad. We’ll see how they shake out. The dorm is an absolute dump---we’ll see how they feel about their threatened room inspections. There are definitely no white glove inspections. I feel that I can definitely be competitive at this academy.
The toughest part so far has been learning how to march, stand at attention and parade rest. Not my forte.
We've already had one cadet resign. He went out to his car and never came back again.

Last day of shadowing

2008-01-13T02:18:00.000-05:00

I worked the 3:30PM to 11:30PM shift at the jail last night, following around an officer who is known as a "floater." The floater is responsible for assisting other officers wherever and whenever they are needed in the facility. We were all over the place tonight---assisting on an intake of a female inmate, covering the desk at the Alpha Segregation Unit and escorting the cleaning crew throughout the facility. It made for a long night---I am very tired and have not even finished packing for Rutland yet.

Getting ready

2008-01-11T17:25:00.000-05:00

Another haircut today...my last barber cannot talk and cut hair at the same time. Also bought shoepolish, t-shirts and dress socks. I have one more day of training---since I took Thursday off for illness, I have to make up the eight hours tomorrow.

Sick as a dog

2008-01-10T19:57:00.000-05:00

I have had a vicious cold all week, it all came to a head today. I was unable to work today, despite having taken Dayquil, Nightquil, Sudophed, and aspirin. I went and bought Musinex today---$22.00 a bottle! I'm hiding that one from the roommate who is sick as well. Tomorrow is the last day of shadowing, Saturday I am packing and Sunday I leave for the academy.

The Beginning

2008-01-10T19:46:00.000-05:00

Well, Monday is coming and I am off to the Academy to begin my five weeks of training as a CO. I'm looking forward to it, although I must confess, I'm not looking forward to being sprayed in the face with pepper spray. It does serve a purpose however; having been sprayed, I'll probably be less likely to use it indiscriminately. It's been an interesting first week. I've been doing my preshadow which is a week of following around a COII and watching what he does. So far, I've worked in Alpha which is a seg unit with 23-hour lock downs, Bravo/Charlie which is a work furlough unit and Delta which is a 22 bed housing unit.