I informed her that I wasn’t new, that I knew who she was married to and that was his problem and not mine.
She asked for my name. This is what people do when they try to intimidate you into doing what they want you to do. It is a threat to report you. I told her my name and spelled it out nice and slowly for her. I encouraged her to report me for doing my job properly. I just don’t release an inmate because a voice on the phone tells me to.
I informed her that if she had filled out all of her paper work properly and contacted all of the right people that there would’ve been no problem. I suggested that if she truly wanted these inmates the soonest possible, she take care of the business that she should have taken care of previously.
I would’ve paid for a video of her at this time, because she had entered that going berserk stage when I hung up on her.
Eventually, I received authorization to release the inmates she requested and this time the names were the names of people I actually had locked up in my cell block.
WISCONSINITES
As officers, we are under more scrutiny than the inmates. Our calls are monitored just as the inmates’ calls are monitored. The institution checked out an eight day section of staff phone calls. It was discovered that some were making long distance phone calls from the prison. An email was sent out informing everyone to stop doing this immediately.
Part of the problem lies in that the prison is just across the river from Wisconsin. Many people from Wisconsin work here. If they must call home, that is a long distance call even if it is only a couple of miles away.
However, this should be their burden and not the states. Proper planning could've eliminated most of these calls. I could see if someone was forced to work overtime or volunteered to work overtime, that they should be allowed to make the call on the state's dime. However, it takes only a few people abusing something to negatively affect others.
MENTALITY OF SOME OFFICERS
When I first started, an officer gave me some papers and told me to put them on the lieutenant’s desk. When I tried to open the door, it was locked. I asked him where the key was. He said it was on the key ring. I had a set of keys on me. I tried all of them. One key slipped in but would not open the door. The officer that told me to put the papers in the office was laughing. He had been watching me try out a full ring of keys on a door when he had the correct key in his pocket all the time. I can take a joke if it’s funny, but this was just stupid. It was something a little kid might think was funny. I require higher standards and more creativity from adult practical jokers.
CRIMINALS WATCHING CRIMINALS
An officer was upset one day because he had applied for a policeman’s job and was turned down. It seems as though they didn’t like it that he had abused drugs. They weren’t even aware of his robbery conviction when he was younger.
BAD CONSEQUENCE TO HORSEPLAY
Officers screwing around can cause major problems as it did this day. Back in segregation officers were screwing around with each other when breakfast arrived to be served to the inmates. Officers are not supposed to eat this food, but there is a lot of peer pressure to do so. If others eat it, and they are going to, you better eat it too or they will think you might out them and then they will make it tough on you.
I can’t remember all that led up to the main problem. It generally starts out small and escalates with everyone trying to top the next person.
One officer wound up spraying chemical irritant on another officer’s tray of food. Then an officer thought it was a bright idea to serve that tray to an inmate.
The inmate wound up lying on the floor yelling that staff had sprayed his food with mace causing him breathing problems. He was taken to Health Services in a wheel chair.
A sergeant was involved. He was demoted. Suspensions were handed out too.
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
An officer stopped showing up at work. This happens from time to time without us knowing why. This time we found out. He was convicted of abusing and raping his wife. He was now an inmate.
TURKEY IN A-EAST
When I transferred to A-East, there was an officer there that hated my guts and everything else about me. He had bid on the spot that I bid on and got in that unit. He felt he deserved it. This is a seniority system, so he did not deserve it. His skills, knowledge, initiative, etc. did not even come close to mine. He was a slacker that was buddies with the sergeant in this cell block.
He was a liar. He told falsehoods about me to this sergeant buddy of his and the sarge bought into them. Working in this place, I was used to situations like this. I followed policy and worked hard, so these kinds of people eventually did themselves in.
This turkey eventually became frustrated, quit and returned to his home country that he said was so fantastic and constantly raved about. He would complain about the United States.
Shortly before I retired, he was back in this country working again in this prison. I never had to deal with him after he returned. Too bad others had to. Too bad the DOC let him return. Too bad the United States let him come back.
MODEL OFFICER
Inmates will compliment female officers to get them to violate policies. Some of them get full of themselves and think they are hot stuff. Some of them that buy into the flattery laid upon them actually are good looking women; however they must have a dysfunctional mind to go along with men that are locked up and seeking any attention they can get from a female.
A picture of a female officer still working here was found in an inmate’s cell. That instantly became her last day.
Whether she was ugly or a looker, she now probably had the confidence to apply for a modeling job.
When we search cells, we always or at least, should always wear the latex throw away gloves provided by the institution. Finding pictures like this, you never know what is on them.
GOOD OFFICERS
First off, there are many more good officers than there are bad ones. The good ones just don’t make the headlines like the bad officers do. Someone doing their job is not as noteworthy as what happens when someone creates problems.
I was fortunate early on to be able to work with many of these excellent officers and to be able to learn from them. Throughout these books, you have read about many of them of which I have not revealed their names. Following is the exception as he became a legend in Stillwater Prison.
SGT. RICHARD M. DODGE
I use this man's actual name in this chapter because of the type of man he was. As far as I could tell, no man was held in higher regard than this man. Sgt. Dodge was highly respected by officers and inmates alike. He spoke to us for a couple of hours during our academy.
He showed us pictures of himself when he
