Article published November 8, 2007

Detention Facility's Professionals Fill Vital Role in System

By Jay King, jking@hometown-news.com

Whenever a major multi-jurisdictional drug interdiction operation like the one that took place in Spartanburg County this past weekend rounds up large numbers of suspects in a short period of time, the issue that naturally arises is how to handle that many people and the charges they face.

Enter the professionals of the Spartanburg County Detention Facility who, in conjunction with the arresting agencies, step into the breach to process the people being charged and shepherd them into the waiting arms of the criminal justice system.

Whether it's processing a person being charged into the booking area at the main detention facility or fulfilling a similar role at a regional command post during field operations, detention officers such as Sgt. Kimberly Ashley start the intake process where a person is photographed, fingerprinted and identified. Sgt. Ashley says that things generally run smoothly between detention officers and the arresting officers because they each have a job to do and are motivated by the same thing - they want things to run as smoothly and safely as possible, not only for the officers but for the prisoners as well.

But as Sgt. Ashley explains, one of the big differences between a field operation and normal bookings inside the jail is that field situations are not as secure as inside the jail because the jail is by its very nature designed to control an inmate's freedom of movement. This difference can make field operations potentially more hazardous.

"We do the best that we can to make it as secure as possible in a non-secure environment," Ashley says. "We've all been booking officers and have done this so many times that you can count on us as veteran officers."

Cpl. M. Hunter and Cpl. J. Long joined Sgt. Ashley in manning the command center for Rolling Thunder II, the sequel to a major drug interdiction operation along I-85 and I-26 earlier this year. Working this closely with the officers on the street underscores that officer safety is the number one goal, Ashley says.

"You always have to keep those same safety factors in your head," she says.

For officers like Ashley, Long, and Hunter, even though they earn overtime pay for working an operation such as Rolling Thunder, that's not why they do it.

"To be able to come out here and know that it's appreciated," that's what makes it worthwhile, Ashley says.

THE CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

For Training Cpl. Marilyn Roman, working the third shift often means she's working at the jail when her kids are asleep, but it also means she gets to work with people she has a chance to help. When she first came to this country from Puerto Rico, she decided to make the most out of whatever opportunity came her way. After having spent two years as a detention officer, she says she relishes the opportunities each new day brings because there's always something new to challenge her abilities.

As a native Spanish speaker, Cpl. Roman is often called upon to translate for officers in the booking area. Often in this role, she's called on to be something akin to a social worker.

Another aspect of her role as a third-shift corporal involves her working in the pods, and that aspect of her job can be as unpredictable as anything.

"You can never predict what's going to happen," she says. "It's something new every day."

But one of the most rewarding aspects of the job is seeing inmates take advantage of literacy programs, or classes that will help them get their G.E.D.

"There's a lot of opportunities for them if they want it," she says.

(This is the third and final article in a series in which Hometown News profiled the personnel and responsibilities of the Spartanburg County Detention Facility)