In Lake Charles, Louisiana, a Texas prison guard was arrested Monday night after Louisiana state troopers found 1.2 pounds of cocaine in her vehicle during a drug dog search after a traffic stop. LaQuatta Felder of Houston works at the Darrington Penitentiary in Rosharon, Texas, and was traveling with a former Darrington prisoner, Joseph Harris. Both were booked into the the Jefferson Davis Parish Jail for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.Felder refused consent to a search her vehicle so troopers brought in a drug dog, which signaled on the 1.2 pounds of blow, according to a TV news report. Splitting the take from retailing 1.2 pounds of cocaine would provide incentive enough for corruption, but one suspects there may also be some low-rent love story at the root of this sordid tale.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Darrington guard collaborated with ex-inmate smuggling blow into Bayou State
Yikes! From the "What was she thinking?" department, here's a story of prison guard corruption I didn't read in the Texas papers, via Drug War Chronicle:
Because of low pay,you continue to read these types of stories. Rogaine as contraband and $250 for a cell phone,drugs,rolling papers,cigarettes,and more have already been reported by the media.When guards are making about $2000 a month,the extra revenue must be very tempting.Prisons need to begin a program to search their guards coming on duty.Lockers for guards should be relocated prior to entry into the facility and guards searched any time they pass the security entrance point.Those on security duty should report directly to the warden.
ReplyDelete"Because of low pay?" Please. This is a corrupt staff member, pure and simple.
ReplyDelete9:54 is right....but low pay and low hiring standards go hand in hand. You get what you pay for, and you pay for what you get.
ReplyDeleteI bet, Grits, that it gives you all kinds of warm fuzzies to know that now you can substitute TDCJ-ID for college hours to apply at DPS.
Talk about schoolin'. ((shudder))
Anon 11:28 DPS is dropping the 60 hours for other people to not just TDCJ.It well not effect TDCJ because TDCJ does not require there Correctional Officers to hold a Texas peace officer or jailer license.You have to go to school to get the license.There not going to just give it to you.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the low pay just means that the CO's are likely to take lower bribes. Regardless of the pay, CO's are less likely to conspire with offenders, if other COs are able to report irregularities without becoming victims. The few COs that report misconduct, get treated like the trouble maker from the very start. It will take a long time, beginning with the replacement of dirty ranking officers with qualified people from outside of TDCJ, to regain the confidence that the CO will not be punished for reporting security issues.
ReplyDeleteI printed this off for my friend who is incarcerated at Darrington. I wonder if it will make it through.
ReplyDeleteYa'll noticed, of course, that when she made use of her right to refuse a search of her vehicle, the hounds were called in - so refusing a search constitutes probable cause for a search? Sweet! The 4th needs to be formally repealed, it's useless anyway.
ReplyDeletePlano cops make good money, but take a look at THIS !!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/localnews/news8/stories/wfaa080501_jh_steroids.ba3063c4.html
http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/wfaa080605_wz_jacobs.157e3e1.html