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Campbell County Recorder
News
August 25, 2011
Sheriff’s deputies say they’re stuck in smoking area By Chris Mayhew cmayhew@nky.com
NEWPORT - Campbell County Sheriff’s Deputy Van Kowolonek delivered a message to Fiscal Court that deputies are worried about their health while rules force them to routinely wait in a smoke-filled room at the county jail to transport inmates back-and-forth to court. The Campbell County Detention Center’s rules stipulate the deputies pull into a squad bay known as
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a “sally port” where there are between 15 to 20 people smoking regularly, said Kowolonek. The jail is officially a smoke-free facility, except the two sally port areas, he said. The sally port is where the deputies are required to wait, often 20-minutes or so, until an inmate is readied for transport to the courthouse, Kowolonek said. “You just can’t breathe in there,” he said. Kowolonek delivered a letter signed by himself and
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“It seems like the inmates have more rights than we do.” Van Kowolonek Sheriff’s deputy
two other deputies who regularly work the same detail of transporting the prisoners. The two-sentence letter stated: “Please be advised that smoking at the Campbell County Detention Center is causing health issues for employees. We, the employees of the Campbell County Sheriff Department
Audit Continued from A1
Heilman, president of SD1’s board of directors in the news release. “While SD1’s
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would like to make you aware of this situation.” On at least one instance, a deputy left sick for part of a day after spending an extended time in the smoking area, Kowolonek said. “We just felt like to do our job we shouldn’t have to go in there and smell smoke every day,” he said. Kowolonek said the executive leadership and board of directors have never doubted the efficient operations of SD1, we are gratified for this additional confirmation.” Arlinghaus said he was disturbed by the findings in the audit, and shocked by SD1’s public response to the audit. “SD1, they have really side-stepped the issue in their press release,” he said. “I am, quite honestly, disappointed in their press release because this is a rather scathing report.” Arlinghaus said he thought SD1’s news release was misleading the public. “I am very disappointed in this press release that puts a whole spin on this audit, and they don’t acknowledge these violations,” he said. In response, Arlinghaus
deputies don’t mind that the prisoners want to smoke, but do mind having to be in the same area to do their job. “It seems like the inmates have more rights than we do,” Kowolonek said. Melissa Williams, director of administration for the fiscal court, said the smoking area is strictly for the Class D, non-violent offenders, the type of prisoners used in the county’s supervised community work program. Judge-executive Steve
Pendery said he would have the jailer examine the issue, but by April 1, 2012, there will be no smoking anywhere in Kentucky prisons because of a change in state law. “That’s a long time away,” said Commissioner Ken Rechtin. Jailer Greg Buckler, who is out of town, was not immediately available for comment about smoking at the jail. For more about your community, visit www.nky.com/campbellcounty
issued his own news release about the audit. “On at least several occasions the Auditor’s office found materials that were purchased for the projects without competitively bidding as required by state law,” said Arlinghaus in his news release. Arlinghaus said the audit reveals millions of dollars of additional work done by a contractor for the River’s Edge/Manhattan Harbour project in Dayton, Ky., were not competitively bid. And, on page 58 of the auditor’s report purchases by SD1 in the amounts of $377,974 for bearings, $1.215 million for pipe and spigots, $1.213 million for structured steel items and $63,566 for penstock and hydraulic items were not competitively bid, he said in the news release. “That is a direct violation of Kentucky law,” Arlinghaus said. Heilman, in a written statement, took issue with Arlinghaus’ news release and comments about the news release with this statement: “Contrary to Judge Arlinghaus’ statement,
there were absolutely no violations of Kentucky law cited in the State Auditor’s report. The Auditor’s report provided recommendations for improvements to policies. “The SD1 Board is pleased that the Auditor found ‘the overall policies of SD1 generally provide an effective structure for the oversight of the organization.’ “Judge Arlinghaus’ statements mischaracterize the Auditor’s findings. SD1 spent a great deal of time working with the Auditor to review the report’s recommendations and we encourage the public to read the audit for an accurate account of the findings and SD1’s response.” To view the full report and a news release from the auditor’s office visit the website http://tinyurl.com/ sd1audit. First, here is the SD1 news release in full at http://tinyurl.com/sd1auditnews. Later, Arlinghaus responded with his own news release available at the website http://tinyurl. com/arlinghausSD1.
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