Cleaning procedures increased, JDC detainees moved to adult jail
Logan County Jail Administrator Lt. Adam Fullerton said Tuesday that a whirlwind of activities and changes have taken shape at the Logan County Jail and Logan County Juvenile Detention Center just in the last two weeks, all to protect the safety of his staff and inmates housed at the facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the energetic response of the detainees toward cleaning their cell blocks and individual cells now twice a day to the jail trustees who also assist with supervised cleanings of the other spaces in the 284 S. County Road 32 jail, everyone is playing their part during this crisis to ensure that the facility is in tip-top shape to avoid the risk of spreading germs, the lieutenant said.
The Logan County Emergency Management Agency also has loaned the agency a disinfecting fogger, a machine produces a mist/fog and completely sanitizes everything in its range. It has been utilized in every room, hallway and cell blocks of both the JDC and adult jail.
Now during a 14-day span, an inmate receives a new uniform, bed linens and towels up to seven times. Anti-bacterial soaps jugs are situated in every cell block, along with additional allotted soap packets provided to inmates for bathing.
“They are just like the rest of us; the inmates want to do everything they can to avoid getting sick as well,” the jail administrator said.
“Our trustees have been remarkable in the cleaning of our facility that they’re doing — it’s hard to touch a door handle right now and not have it be moist because they have just cleaned it.
“With all the cleaning they are doing and double the laundry, they do not have much downtime.”
Along with the boost in cleaning efforts, Lt. Fullerton another major change in jail operations was undertaken March 18 when the eight detainees of the JDC, along with JDC equipment and supplies were all moved to the adult jail.
This decision to move the juvenile detainees was made for the time of the COVID-19 emergency so that JDC and its kitchen at 104 S. Madriver St. would be unoccupied and could be thoroughly cleaned. Then it potentially could be utilized if the virus is detected at the adult jail, the administrator said.
“Now we would have another place to move someone if we do encounter an inmate who becomes infected,” Lt. Fullerton said of the JDC space. “Also, if the adult jail’s kitchen staff becomes ill or if the jail kitchen becomes compromised, we will be able to utilize the JDC kitchen to provide meals to inmates.”
In addition, four corrections officers and a cook are still assigned to the JDC, where they’re keeping busy with paperwork and other tasks, to keep that staff healthy and separated from the adult jail staff.
“If COVID-19 begins to affect our staffing levels, these four healthy corrections officers can fill the void,” the lieutenant said.
The last two weeks also has brought a slightly thinned out population for both adult and youth detainees through intentional planning efforts working with each of the Logan County judges during this state of emergency.
March, 16, Lt. Fullerton said he met with the Common Pleas Judge Kevin Braig, Municipal Court Judge Ann Beck, and Family Court Judges Dan Bratka and Judge Kim Kellogg-Martin to consider a list of low-level, non-violent offenders for release. Some of these individuals will be required to return to the detention facility to finish their sentences, while others will be required to follow up with court hearings.
From those conversations and approvals, the Logan County Jail adult inmate population has dropped from 85 individuals March 16 to 57 adults housed there Tuesday. For the juvenile detainees, 13 were housed at the JDC March 16, and now there are seven juveniles housed at the adult jail as of Tuesday.
Tuesday, the total population of adults and juveniles housed at the Logan County Jail was 64.
“We’re so fortunate to have such a good working relationship with our judges — it’s just remarkable,” Lt. Fullerton said. “They’re willing to do everything they can to help us, whether it’s a crisis situation like this or just on a normal basis.”
Throughout the coronavirus crisis, other restrictions have been put in place at the jail, including taking the temperatures of inmates before they even enter the facility. If a new arrestee has a temperature of greater than 100 degrees, they are admitted to an area medical facility instead.
Incarcerated inmates temperatures also are taken throughout the week, and shift supervisors and medical staff also take routine temperatures of staff members once a week. Anyone who enters the sheriff’s office and jail complex also is screened prior to entrance.
Beginning March 11, visitation was suspended at both the adult jail and the JDC, per order of Governor Mike DeWine.
“Suspending visitation was a hard thing to do, but necessary in this situation,” the jail administrator said. “The adult inmates have access to cell block phones during daytime hours and they have can pay for video visitation that is available through tablets.
“Our juvenile inmates also are permitted a free 10-minute phone call that they can make every day to a parent or guardian.”
To keep on top of this emergency situation, much of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office staff, including corrections officers, made a switch to 12-hour shifts beginning Saturday, March 21.
Corrections staff are working four days on and then have three days off, the lieutenant said. They have a total of four shifts with six to eight people per shift.
“This gives us the option that if one person on a given shift becomes ill, we are better able to send home the entire shift to monitor those individuals, and then bring in a whole new shift of healthy individuals.”
During these emergency operations, Lt. Fullerton said his staff and the other personnel at the LCSO are to be commended for their extraordinary efforts.
“Our staff is doing a fabulous job. Corrections officers, our cooks, our nurse, teachers, counselors and maintenance, each and every one of them.
In moments of crisis and emergency, the corrections staff always step up to the challenge and produce. They had limited notice that their schedules would be changing, but rather than complaining, they are asking what they can do to help. The families of our staff deserve a lot of credit as well, as they are making sacrifices.”