Posted by FinallyOUT (anonymous) on October 29, 2009 at 3:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

While I respect Ashley Walkers right to free speech and the fact that she has free reign to write whatever she wants in this newspaper. I must say I have been completely disapointed in this editiorial.

Before I say anything else, I will say this. Lyon County Jail is not Topeka Correctional. It is unfair and quite reckless to compare our jail to this institution. There is no comparison. If there is a problem in the prison system, it is Gov. Parkinson's duty to oversee and correct it as it is a state run facility.

Also I would like to say, there are bad apples in the prison/jail system. There are. Just like there are bad apples at McDonalds spitting in your fries at the drive thru. Every job has them. The sad fact of this is, is that those people over shadow the TREMENDOUS work of those who really do care about there jobs and or there community.

As far as Lyon County Jail, yes, they did have an incident and they took every step possible to correct it.

People in this town, regardless of how others view the Emporia Gazette, take this paper's views and opinions as truth, which isn't the case at all.

A jailer quite possibly has one of the most under appreciated and most trying jobs in law enforcement. The officers, and bless them for EVERYTHING they do each day, arrest people and drop them off. They don't have to be with the prisoner throughout there entire shift.

A jailer does.

Jailers/Corrections officers are required pass laundry, meds, food, mail, cleaning items, etc to inmates who are psychially, verbally and emotionally abusive to them. They are required to listen to them yell and scream, through feces and other things at them.. and countless other things that can't be listed in this small post.

All while trying to be as professional and courteous as possible. They do all of this not for praise, or kudos from the community, but to do there part in keeping this town safe.

They do not deserve to have some shadow of doubt cast upon them by THERE newspaper because of something that is going on 50 miles away.

Ashley, my hope is that you will go to the jail and take a tour. See what these men and women do everyday. How 6 to 7 people a shift struggle to keep the piece with 150 inmates. How they strive to keep order, professionalism and to give these people who you want protected, protection from themselves and others. To give these people a chance at starting over.

Go see for yourself before you write more.

I'd like to thank the men and women of the Lyon County Jail for being those "silent officers".. Thank you for all you do.

Posted by ashleywalker (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 11:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

FinallyOUT: Thank you for your thoughtful comments.

I agree that jailers do a difficult, but important job. To clarify my editorial, I was not suggesting that Emporia has the same problems as Topeka. In fact, I tried to highlight the good track record our county jail has had. The incidents in Topeka have just provided a good opportunity to review and raise awareness across the state of our prison/jail system and the tools and policies in place to prevent such things from happening.

Thank you again for your comments,

Ashley Walker

Posted by sunshine (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 7:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ashley,
Thank you for your editorial. I am a student at ESU studying crime and delinquency and I plan to work in the corrections system after graduation. It is important to not take for granted that everything is running just fine. It does not matter what occupation we are talking about, a system of checks and balances is as important as the profession itself. It is also important for citizens to question on occasion as to whether that system of checks and balances is working. Sometimes it takes something like the incident at the Topeka Correctional Facility to remind us that we ought to make sure everything is as it should be on local grounds. That does not mean that we should automatically assume that if there is something wrong in other places it must be going on everywhere. Nor does that mean that when we question whether out own systems are working efficiently someone should jump to the conclusion that someone is pointing an accusatory finger.
Thanks again Ashley for the great editorial. I always enjoy reading both yours and Chris'.

Posted by upsetcitizen (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 8:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ashley,

I have read your editorial numerous times, trying to figure out how you think that you are not suggesting that the same thing is happening here at our county jail. Every word that you have written suggests that due to one incident it is happening time and time again here and that our officers are not doing anything to stop it.

Our Correctional Officers are one of the most unappreciated career choices out there. These officers on a daily basis put their lives on the line to maintain order and protect our local community. Daily these officers walk into a cell with no protection vests, and only their training to protect them. Our police officers, and sheriff deputies have vest on to help protect them, our correctional officer's have the clothes on their backs and their brains that God gave them to protect them. The people that they babysit on a daily basis have nothing better to do with their time so they get creative and start making makeshift weapons. Our officers are counted on to find these weapons and not only protect themselves but protect the other inmates as well. It only takes one distraction for that officer to get injured by another inmate.

Many times these officers are asked to go in early or drive all night on Christmas Eve and other holidays to take an inmate to another county when they are wanted for another crime. Many times these officers are by themselves with the inmates in the car because there is not enough staffing to allow more than one officer to go with the inmate.

One day in the jail, or a tour of the jail is not enough to know what is going on there and how their days, evenings and nights go. Spend a week there, shadowing an officer, not administration an actual officer and see how they put their lives on the line daily. Many times we honor the Fire/EMT/Police, but do we ever stop and honor the Correction Officers?

Just because our jail had one incident does not mean that there will be more. Our Jail administration has taken steps to prevent this from happening again, but you did not take the time to ask them this prior to writing your editorial. You just wrote your thoughts (which you are entitled to). However I think next time you should get both sides of the story before jumping to conclusions and writing about something you know nothing about.

I HAVE TO SAY THAT I AM PROUD OF OUR CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS AND ALL THAT THEY DO. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!!!!!!!

Posted by lyso129 (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 12:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ashley, you state in your comment: " I was not suggesting that Emporia has the same problems as Topeka."

But in your article you wrote: "But given the activity that’s been reported in the capital city recently, it seems an appropriate time to review policies and procedures here in Lyon County to ensure this positive record."

I work at the Lyon County Jail and would like to first say "THANK YOU" to all of my co-workers for putting their lives on the line everyday. Absolutely no one on the outside world can even imagine what we do on a daily basis. The abuse we receive from inmates that we mentally have to deal with and then have to go home to our husbands, wives and children and act like we lead a normal life. My co-workers are my second family whom I feel I should protect in writing this comment.

Maybe I'm wrong, but the "accusations" that are happening in Topeka....has anyone been prosecuted on this yet? or is it a possibility that these are FALSE accusations??? Some Inmates have nothing but time to think of how they can sue an officer or the county.

But your article (as stated in quotes) just opened up a door for false accusations by previous or current inmates. I look at my fellow "brothers and sisters" that I work with and can't imagine them having to go through the court system over something that is untrue, because no matter what happens in the end, they will always have that mark on their back.

Like it was stated in another comment, every job has the chance of having a "bad seed" working among them, can you look at all of your co-workers or even friends and know 100% that none of them beat their wives or children, use drugs, or drink and drive?

The Administration here is highly educated in these issues and if they felt anything of this sort was going on, it would be handled immediately and appropriately.

When inmates are leaving here to go back to their counties, I don't think there is a week that goes by where I don't hear "I don't want to go back to ----- , this is the best jail I've had to stay in". Do you know why? BECAUSE RESPECTABLE OFFICERS WORK HERE!

Posted by shoehorn (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 1:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"it seems an appropriate time to review policies and procedures here in Lyon County to ensure this positive record."

What part of this do people not understand?! If it is reported that a hospital has an outbreak of MRSA, you can be sure that other hospitals are reviewing their policies and procedures. Why would/should a jail be any different? I know, their will be some who will wonder what MRSA has to do with a jail. Oh, well. Just smile and nod.

Posted by paulkersey (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 1:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"I don't think there is a week that goes by where I don't hear "I don't want to go back to ----- , this is the best jail I've had to stay in"

AWWW! Isn't that sweet! It sure is good to know that criminals like staying in the Lyon County jail! Do you leave them mints on their pillows every morning after you make their beds?

I would think you would want them to hate that place more than anything else on Earth, in hopes they don't want to come back, ala Maricopa Count Jail, in Arizona. You know, the one where the county spends more on food for the guard dogs than the inmates? Yeah, that would be good.

Posted by slh (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 1:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I work in the Lyon County Jail, and I do not feel your opinion is justified at all. I am guessing that you have never been inside a jail; therefore, you have no idea of what we, as employees of this jail, go through day in and day out. You can come observe the jail, like other individuals have commented, for a day or a week, but you might be here during a good day or week. The next week, when you're gone, could be the week that an officer gets killed while working here. You NEVER know what's going to happen!

Unlike many people, we do not have the option of going home after a hard day at work to discuss with our loved ones how our day went. After a difficult day, we are forced to go home, put a smile on our face, and pretend that everything is okay. But the truth is, this job is hard. It drains a person. Every day, we deal with the individuals that the general public has no desire to be around. Many people joke that all we do is babysit adults--and yes, it is a lot like babysitting. But it's dangerous babysitting. Not just any person can do this job--it really takes a special person to be able to stick it out for the long haul in this profession.

I have heard many people joke around about how small of a jail Lyon County has and how it can't be THAT dangerous. The truth is, whenever you have a group of criminals housed together in one place, whether it be 5 or 500, there is danger, and there is always a possibility of someone getting hurt. These individuals have nothing better to do during their day than to sit around and make plans on how to hurt another inmate or an officer. This is something that we, as officers, are trained for, but training doesn't always mean we will come out ahead.

Working at the jail, I've come to think of my fellow officers as my second family. This really is my home away from home. This job is stressful, and the only thing that can be done to make it less stressful is to love the people you work with. They are the ones that have my back, and I'm the one that has their back if and when trouble arises. I would do anything for the people I work with, and I know that they would do anything for me. No, we don't always get along. That's what makes us a family though. Despite our differences, we are all in this profession for a reason--to keep the public safe and to keep each other safe.

Please, next time you decide to write an article about a correctional facility and want to mention Lyon County in it, take a moment to reflect on the good as opposed to the bad. You mention that there hasn't been an incident in the Lyon County jail involving an officer and an inmate since 2003, which was 6 (almost 7) years ago. My response to that is to simply state: that's good. Not very many correctional facilities can say that it has been that long since an incident has occurred.

Maybe I'm biased. But I love my job, I love the people I work with, and we deserve more positive recognition than you have chosen to give us.

Posted by lyso129 (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 1:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Shoehorn:
Most people that reside in the county jail are still waiting on court dates/trials etc...... innocent until proven guilty. They are still human beings and could be a friend or relative of yours. It only takes a second for a "law abiding citizen" such as yourself to make that one mistake that will land you in a jail. I think you would like to be treated fairly as well. Do we leave mints on the pillows? No. We go by the rules set by the Jail, but it does not mean that we have to treat inmates unjustly. Do you really think that anything we say or do is going to determine the decisions a person makes when they leave? Once again, no one knows about the in's and out's of this job unless you've been here. But thank you for your input.

Posted by lyso129 (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 1:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry...last comment was to PaulKersey

Posted by threecs (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 1:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Someone I love very much spent a few nights in the Lyon County jail and I was so afraid of what might happen while he was there. Everything went well and he was treated with utmost respect and felt safe. In fact, in his stories he mentions meaningful conversations with the jailers that became part of his actions to clean up, take responsibility and fly right.

I so much appreciated that we had a local county jail staffed by neighbors just like us, who are doing the best job they can in difficult situations. It was exactly what he needed.

Posted by biscuitboy (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 2:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)

finallyOUT, and others. I'll address your concerns the same way police officers address questions as to the need for them to search your car......"If you ain't got nothing to hide, why do you care"?

Posted by oh4theluvof (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 2:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"But the truth is, this job is hard. It drains a person. Every day, we deal with the individuals that the general public has no desire to be around."

This is the key statement as to why law enforcement on all levels need our support, but also an accountability watch. It is a TOUGH job to work with people who have to be removed from the general public and it can drag a person down into behavior they would never otherwise engage in. Law enforcement officers are human too.......very valuable ones, but still only human. To the ones here who have been offended by this article, please understand that investigations into your conduct are there to help protect you as well, just as parents monitoring their children's behavior is. I understand that Ashley wrote this from the inmate sympathy, but that does not mean it was an attack on you....you yourselves have validated her stand that they have rights too. We in the general public have a tendency to assume that the inmates are all the scum of the earth or they wouldn't be there....we are wrong to do so. When it is pointed out that they are to be protected, though, even against human officers who may have succumbed to the evil influences that many of the inmates surround them with, that does not mean it is an attack on the officers. Thank you, for you valuable service to our community....we will do our best to keep an eye out to help insure that you remain strong against those things that you are bombarded with.

Posted by lifer (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

For all of you who think this article was an attack on Lyon County jail: you are reading what you WANT to read in it, not what it really says. Ashley says you've had a good track record -- where in that do you see her say you aren't doing your job??? Nowhere! She's only bringing attention to a problem that is happening in Topeka and using it as a way to review policies and procedures here in town. I think that's a GOOD thing, not bad!

Posted by UsayULoveGod (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 3:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The truth is, there is noway 5-15 jailers can control 150 inmates. They do the best with what they have. There are some that are corrupted, in every system. There is a very good chance there are some in every Jail system. That also goes for Police officers , Judges, lawyers, etc...... But you should not judge them all just because of a few bad apples.

Posted by shoehorn (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 4:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

lifer, I am beginning to think we are in the minority.

Posted by biscuitboy (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 5:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

oh4theluvof.....Good post....you pretty much said it all.

Posted by history (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 9:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Boo Hoo you jailers you sound like a bunch cry babies. Give me a break it is a county jail. Its not like you are working in a federal penitentiary.

And yes you have had problems in the past so it is not like you a clean record. One person violated is too many. I commend the Governor for doing reviews.

Posted by powercat (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 9:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

slh - you say that Ashly has never been inside a jail. Your assumption is wrong.

I know Ashley and she goes and visits her brother in law in maximum security prison in Iowa several times a year.

Of course a maximum security prison is not a county jail but there are probably are some similarities.

Posted by sunshine (anonymous) on November 1, 2009 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Shoehorn,

That is exactly what I was tring to get at. There is nothing wrong with questioning and taking a look at policies Everywhere when something has happened somewhere else, and in this case Topeka is kind of close to home. We as citizens should be concerned about policies in our jails, hospitals, nursing homes, gas stations. Instead, many people just let life happen and never question anything. I'm sure all of our officials are doing a good job of making sure things are on the up and up, but it doesn't hurt for people to ask.
Unfortunatley some people take that as accusation and critisism. There is no need for defensiveness here unless something is wrong. But..just as it is a person's right to refuse a warrantless search and seizure of their vehicle, it is also a person's right to defend their place of work. I just wanted to add that because of buiscutboy's comment:
finallyOUT, and others. I'll address your concerns the same way police officers address questions as to the need for them to search your car......"If you ain't got nothing to hide, why do you care"?
I care because it is my right to!

Posted by biscuitboy (anonymous) on November 1, 2009 at 9:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

sunshine......I am in total agreement and you added an important aspect to what I said. But if you believe that you can refuse a warrantless search of your vehicle and just then be sent on your merry way with the best wishes of the police...you have obviously never been in that position.

Posted by Steve_Corbin (anonymous) on November 1, 2009 at 9:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't EVER have any thing in my vehicles that I would worry about the police finding in a search. But I would NEVER consent to a search of them.
Just one of my few remaing rights that I choose to exercise.

Posted by neighbor (anonymous) on November 1, 2009 at 11:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The Correction Officers at Topeka need their day in court and to be proven guilty before they are judged as being the criminals they are reported to be. Thank you to the person who stated this before. Anybody posting here on this thread that hasn't been locked up or hasn't spent time working in the corrections field has no idea of what takes place inside the fences and walls of our correctional facilities. If the public had the opportunity to observe first hand what happens there, and could see that there are criminals there much worse than Otis coming into the Mayberry Jail to sleep it off, they would have a much greater appreciation for the staff working there. I had to chuckle at the thought of Ashley Walker spending a week working in such a facility to see for herself first hand what goes on there. I know for a fact, that the majority of the public and all of the tough talk posters so far on this thread would run the opposite direction at the first sign of trouble while walking in correctional officer's shoes. The career criminals serving time in city, county, state and federal facilities are constantly trying to find weaknesses in officers, in security, in their lawyers, family and in so called friends on the outside. They con each other, the doctors they go to see to get free drugs and time outside of the jail, their wives, husbands, kids, boy-girl friends, aunts, uncles, and even the preachers and bible study people who come to visit. They write letters to the media making accusations of abuse and wrong doing in the lock up trying to create problems for the agency, officers that work there, anything they can do to make themselves look like a victim or improve their living conditions. This is not the first time the Gazette has implied workers and policies at the jail should be looked into, or were wrong for printing accusations or implications of wrong doing before they conducted an investigation first.

History- People in Federal prison most often go thru County jails before ever making it to the "big house". They don't have anyone worse there than what we have right here in Lyon Co. Bernie Madoff is in Federal Prison, suppose he is scary?

Posted by lyso129 (anonymous) on November 1, 2009 at 12:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I have absolutely no qualms about the Governor doing his job. Nor do I have any problems with our Policies and Procedures being looked at. And I also believe that if anyone has ever been treated unfairly have the right and the strength to come forward, but in the eyes of many in law enforcement, we believe this article could have been written in a different way.

Being behind a glass window to see a visitor and working with inmates is two different worlds.

I'm not in arguement because I have anything to hide and yes, unfortunately I am taking this personally. A finger HAS been pointed (which I completely understand it was for good intentions) No one would want to be looked at in a negative way when they know in their heart they try and do their very best in their job. A job that so many people would not want to do. THAT is what our arguements are about. I think when it comes down to it, it has hurt our pride......and I'm not ashamed to say it.

Like I stated before, some inmates have all the time in the world to think of ways to sue an Officer or the County and I hope that the way the article was written, that it doesnt cause any false accusations.

History: Are you serious? Where do you think people from prisons and the Federal Penitentiary's come from? It only takes 1 second for 1 person in the wrong state of mind to due harm to an officer.

And for those of you that complain about Officers searching vehicles.....it gets drugs and weapons off the street. As a parent, that seems to be a good thing. Its really disappointing to see how adults look at law-enforcement so negatively. They are just doing what the law is requiring them to do and it is to keep everyone safe and give us a better place to live.

Ashley, Thank you for your article, I do understand you were trying to give the inmates their rights. But it was not read that way by many people.

Posted by slh (anonymous) on November 1, 2009 at 3:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)

History: Are you serious?! The first place that individuals come when they are arrested is the county jail. They are here for a length of time before they are even sent to a state prison or federal penitentiary or whatever they are sentenced to. While they are here, it is the county jailers who have to deal with them. We, as jailers, come into contact with all sorts of people with all kinds of charges. Just because it is "just" a county jail does not mean that it is any less dangerous than any of "higher up" facility.

I also commend the governor for doing reviews. But just because we had one major incident almost seven years ago doesn't make this jail a bad place where all "bad" people work. That issue was taken care of, that person does not work here anymore, and for the past seven years, there have been no other problems like that one.

Powercat: So you believe that because Mrs. Walker has been to visit her brother-in-law in a maximum security prison that she has the insight of what it is like to work in a jail or prison? I'm sorry, but you are sadly mistaken. There are doors beyond what she can see through the visitation window or visitation room.

FinallyOUT; upsetcitizen; threecs; oh4theluvof; UsayULoveGod; and neighbor--Thank you all for your comments in support of our county jail. It's appreciated.

Posted by neighbor (anonymous) on November 1, 2009 at 9:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

lyso and slh, you should have worked there when you were by yourself at night. Ask BA about how it was back in the day before the current jail opened, I think his Badge # was 109.

Posted by create (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 6:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Excellent article, Ashley. It highlights two things.

One, that any corrections system, no matter where it is located or how long it has been operating in good working order, should be reviewed from time to time in order to keep it running smoothly. The military does this constantly because when everything is squared away, the system works the way it is supposed to.

Second, when people read, they rarely do it with an open mind. Instead, they bring their own baggage with them. It appears that many who have responded to this article need to unpack their bags a little before spouting off.

To reiterate what Ashley said in one sentence, and what shoehorn has already introduced, "it seems an appropriate time to review policies and procedures here in Lyon County to ensure this positive record."

What is it about "...to ensure this positive record" that no one understands.

The military does it, schools do it all the time. Any good organization does it. It never hurts to review your own methods and test for validity.

Damn, people, read much?

Posted by biscuitboy (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 7:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

create.....excellent post!

Posted by neighbor (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 8:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"Furthermore, if there are men or women who have been victims of illegal sexual bargaining while under the guardianship of Lyon County law enforcement officials or personnel, we hope they will feel free to come forward."

Ever dealt with media assassination personally? The inmates have channels in which they can lodge complaints against staff actions. They can file compliants thru the Sheriff's Dept administration, via their lawyer, get assistance from their clergy, family and friends in filing complaints. It's not like the old days where light and food are pumped into them and no-one has access to them, they are not without contact with the outside. Why would they need to use the media to report a supposed problem or violation of their rights? This article was nothing more than a want ad seeking accusations against the Jailers of LYCO to make a story.

Posted by YY4U (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

When one group of people is given unchecked power over another group of people, the power is abused. EVERYTIME!
We do hope that people FEEL FREE to come forward and report abuse. The problem is proving that the abuse really happened.
The group who has been given unchecked power will abuse their power and each member of that group will back one another against accusations from those they have abused. Any member of the group who comes forward against the group will be forever banished from the group and can never be trusted by the group. That is why the only way to catch these individuals violating the law is through clandestine investigations.

Posted by create (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 9:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

In this phrase, "...we hope they will feel free to come forward," I don't see any invitation to contact the media.

First: This phrase does not mean that inmates are encouraged to contact the media. "...come forward" simply means to contact anyone in any channel if they have a problem.

Second: Ashley, you need to be more specific in your writing. Don't let ideas just hang out there for people to tie onto their tricycles and drag all over town. If you want to keep a good blade on your axe, make yourself understood, girl. Your use of the term "we" may be confusing. Take the first person out of your writing.

Posted by FinallyOUT (anonymous) on November 3, 2009 at 3:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I did read this editorial several times actually. I just read it again, just so I could have it fresh in my mind.

I don't believe that everything that Ashley wrote was awful. I think she brings up alot of valid points.

I appreciate the fact that Ashley took the time to write a post back to me. That takes alot of guts.

However Create, you are quite correct in stating that Ashley needs to be MUCH more specific in her writing. This entire post left alot hanging out there. We definately agree on that.

Look, personally I didn't mean to start anything here, only to say that I didn't appreciate what was said. That's my right, as it is each and every one of your rights.

It just felt like getting kicked in the face.

SLH is correct in saying that being in a jail is alot different than a visitation room seeing a prisoner. What you see when you visit or what you see when you come in as a prisoner is all through just scratching the surface of what actually takes place and what a corrections officer has to go through on a daily basis.

Theres alot that has to happen to make a successful jail run. ALOT. And it doesn't please everyone.

But what I know is that I have had to wash my husband's blood stained, puke soaked, feces laden uniform's on more than one occasion . I have watched as my husband's spirit get weaker and weaker, because he worked countless holiday's and overtimes and transports to help out.

I watched as my husband had to restless with tremendous pressure, being involved in altercations, having to struggle with seeing, hearing and being a part of some very overwhelming things without being able to lean on his wife.

I've watched his coworkers families struggle in the exact same way, because the life of a jail officer is not easy. On the jailer, or on the family.

What I hope you would all remember is that when you post things about correctional officers, police officers, firemen, ems workers, troopers... etc.. your not only talking about that officer or department, but you are talking about there families.

Wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, kids , friends.. who all have to sacrifice alot, just because of their loved one's profession.

When you talk about them, or what they do, or how they do there jobs, you talk about everyone involved in there family.

Posted by create (anonymous) on November 4, 2009 at 8:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Finally, you bring out a very important piece of info here with regard to doing laundry.

I was unaware that jail employees were responsible for their own laundry. That needs to change immediately because if you are having to deal with bodily fluids and feces on your husband's uniforms, then you are being exposed to such organisms as AIDS and Hepatitis among others.

Lyon County Commissioners: Why isn't Lyon County providing laundry services for jailers' uniforms? If you don't, you are promoting health dangers for family members who do laundry.

Well Ashley, now you have some additional ammunition here.