September 21, 2024
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Jail supervisor on duty during Feb. 4 riot quits

SANFORD – A supervisor who was on duty during last winter’s riot at the York County Jail has resigned as officials admitted for the first time that improper management contributed to the disturbance.

The York County Sheriff’s Department would not identify the supervisor, saying only that he stepped down before a hearing to determine the status of his employment.

A minute-by-minute account of what happened at the jail on Feb. 4 is included in a sheriff’s department report that outlines what went wrong the night inmates broke windows, burned mattresses and clogged toilets.

The riot cost the county nearly $60,000, including damages and the cost of boarding out inmates sent to other facilities. Much of the loss will be covered by insurance, York County Commissioner Joseph Hanslip said.

Seven inmates were indicted on criminal charges ranging from arson to terrorizing for initiating the riot.

Jail administrator Michael Vitiello said factors that played a part in the disturbance included overcrowding, incorrect inmate classifications, lack of sufficient outdoor recreation, supervision, staffing levels and experience, and security.

The report said “four of the eight corrections officers had less than one year of experience,” the jail was holding twice the number of inmates it is designed to house and inmates had been improperly classified by a new classification officer who had not, at that time, received any formal training.

“An overcrowded facility brings with it a certain level of frustration on both the staff and the inmates,” said Vitiello.

Vitiello said although the riot did not cause any policy changes at the jail, some measures have been taken to prevent another occurrence. Some of the pressure of overcrowding should be relieved after a modular jail unit, designed to hold 30 more inmates, is constructed outside the jail. And Vitiello said staff turnover is a problem administrators are constantly trying to resolve.


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