After becoming Sheriff in 1999, George True has made miraculous improvements with the jail. True had been an Indiana State Trooper for many years. Since retiring from that job, he came to the Sheriff's position with an abundance of experience in law procedure and enforcement. His concerns are for safety of the employees and inmates, as well as the general public. Those are his top priorities! County officials have forgotten the important job of taking those off the streets that may pose a threat to us.

True has 'rolled up his sleeves' and done carpentry work; installed equipment; and has done miscellaneous repairs and maintenance with the aid of trustees (some of the inmates). The jail has been painted a sparkling white (once yellow-smoked-dirty walls of 30 years), and is now smoke-free and very clean--despite the dilapidated condition it is in.

The original office for the manager was relocated to a safer environment. That room has been converted into the Breathalyzer Room.

Sheriff True has built small shelves overhead throughout the jail to hold supplies. A room was sectioned-off from the garage to store lifesaving breathing apparatuses.

The boiler has deteriorated because of a malfunctioned water system. The water softener has been neglected over the years. Professionals have told True that the boiler could shut down at ANY time, and would be impossible to repair. A new system would cost as much as $100,000. The bad water softener has caused the water pipes to be so clogged that many have closed off. Water runs constantly in the jail facilities, because of lime deterioration. The Sheriff has recently put controls on inmates' water allowance, and that has reduced the water bill considerably. Councilmen and Commissioners looked at the BILLS-but NOT the PROBLEMS!

Sheriff True opted not to gain revenue from the meals for inmates, while former sheriffs DID choose to profit from this. Any money left at the end of the year goes to the County General Fund.

The county will not pay for a full-time cook, because they do not wish to pay benefits. This makes it necessary for the part-time cook to be aided by unsupervised trustees. All trustee inmates are soon to be released, and there are no reliable replacements.

The kitchen is now spotless, and always passes inspection under the sheriff's watch. Breads and various packaged foods are sanitarily covered with plastic covers, because of lack of storage. Freezers and refrigerators are in another area. The anti-quated cooking range's wiring is bad, and few burners work. There is a dumbwaiter that doesn't work, due to faulty wiring. The sheriff believes it probably has never worked from the time of its installation. It is desperately needed so that the cook can load the food trays on it, and more easily dispense the trays to and from the cells.

George True saved Jefferson County BIG BUCKS when he negotiated to have instructors to come from Plainfield and train jail employees. He arranged for instructors to come to the Salvation Army and conduct the classes. This served two purposes:
1) The county saved money; and
2) The Sheriff kept his employees close by. They were needed on their regular shifts.

When True came to office, there were no video cameras. Since then he has installed 2 video cameras. His intention is to add cameras for surveillance on the outside of the building. This is vital because people have broken windows to get contraband to prisoners. The dispatchers were also moved, and now have full (much needed) contact with the Control Room. The generator supplies power for communications and 911calls, and is now located in a more safe environment.

After taking his place at the helm, True was successful in convincing some councilmen that there was a pressing need for surveillance. The Sheriff purchased 2 new video cameras. This allows the chief jailer to observe different areas of the jail.

The Booking Room was originally 3 rooms. True changed this to 1 room. Here necessary paperwork, fingerprinting, and photographing is done on a prisoner. There is a long wooden bench with chains attached to the boards. At the end of the chains are handcuffs. Also located in the room is a desk, a telephone, and a black restraint chair. The Sheriff says the restraint chair is a great help. It averts a lot of problems in a safe way. Even with the shortage of jailers and officers-no employee should be alone and put in the position of having to fight for his or her life while on duty.

There is a sewer drain located center of the kitchen. True states that when prisoners purposely clog the sewers with toilet paper, the kitchen is flooded with human feces. This happens often because jailers are short-handed. This means there is not enough supervision to check often (as needed) on prisoners to prevent such occur-rences. Reserve Deputies are invaluable to the department --but are not available all the time. The Jailer Inspector has recommended that there be 10 jailers for safety rea-sons. Jefferson County has only 5 jailers. Sheriff True has said that many jailers have left the department since he has taken the job. Some employees have left because of an unsafe working environment, while others were not paid for the overtime they worked.

Before Sheriff True's term the jail contained a padded cell reserved for any prisoner that became violent. The cell had been stripped and put in a shabby and unsafe condition. Because of this circumstance, the Jail Inspector suggested it be used only as a temporary cell.

On January 4, 1999, a young man (prisoner) tried to hang himself from the water sprinkler in the ceiling. When he was discovered-FORTUNATELY a ladder was close by where someone had been painting-and so a fatality and possible lawsuits against the county WERE PREVENTED.

QUESTION: When people say, "They're just criminals-they don't need to be comfortable". What is your reply, Sheriff?

ANSWER: "Eighty percent (80%) of the prisoners have not been convicted, and I still believe in the Constitution."

Some months ago a prisoner, Ossie Smith, escaped from the jail. He managed to exit through a place in the wall that housed a fan. True has since sealed the wall and installed better equipment in its place.

Although he has made many improvements in the operation, which contribute directly to the safety and efficiency of the jail-unfortunately he is faced with very for-midable problems in the physical condition of it. Another large obstacle is that contracting repair persons for the jail is extremely difficult, because the county "has a bad name" concerning payment. This makes maintenance and improvements very difficult.

All jailers have been trained. The Matron, Mrs. Peggy True, has been trained for several jobs. She sometimes performs as a fill-in for these positions-as does the Sheriff.

Kim Washer is the Office Manager, but is titled as a dispatcher. This is one of the errors of the commissioners. Mrs. Washer has taken dispatcher training to be able to fill-in as backup--should there be an emergency . However, her job IS Office Manager, and it IS full-time. Mrs. Washer's job is very crucial to the department. Her salary is far below standards in comparison to Sandra Shelton's salary, who holds an UNTITLED position with the courthouse.

By: Bernadine Thompson
The Mantooth Report