Richland administrator says county has taken steps to improve jail, promises more

The Richland County administrator said actions have been taken to improve working conditions and retain officers at the county jail after a riot and other problems.

“I’m passionate about this,” Administrator Leonardo Brown told The State Tuesday about making Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center a better place to work, “because I know it’s a tough job and people aren’t knocking down the doors to do it.”

For jail officers, minimum salaries have been raised and better raises over time have been established.

In July, council voted to raise the minimum salary for a jail officer to $36,500, which gave an immediate raise to some officers.

When Richland County got a share of federal dollars meant to deal with the effects of the coronavirus, one of the first places that money went was to the jail, Brown said

Also in July, at Brown’s recommendation, the county council approved a $5,000 stipend for frontline workers who worked through the pandemic, including jail officers. The stipend was paid for with the federal funds. Three months later, council allocated more of the federal funds to “equipment for the health and safety of the employees and population” at the jail.

Improved security infrastructure such as more cameras and a safer parking lot are on the way, Brown said.

“We’ve done those things, but we won’t stop there,” County chairman Paul Livingston said. The county is also mulling over how to provide better training to officers to keep them safer.

The changes began after conversations and meetings he had personally with workers at the jail, Brown said. During those July talks, jail officers spoke with him separate from their bosses about conditions and needed improvements at the detention center.

Councilwoman Cheryl English said the council has heard about the jailers’ needs from conversations with them. Council members are working to implement a plan to address those needs.

“We’re going to take the onus of (Alvin S. Glenn) and take the responsibility and move forward,” English said. “My number one thing is safety first. I always want someone to be safe no matter what job their working on.”

Despite the improvements, the jail continues to face challenges that have marred it for years, including understaffing and retaining guard.

In September, a dozen inmates attacked two officers, severely injuring one and traumatizing another. The attack was exacerbated by a shortage of jailers working that morning. A dozen inmates were charged in the assaults.

The current competitive job market has made the staffing challenges tougher at the jail, according to Brown. That’s because people aren’t choosing a risky job like being a jail officer, Brown said.

The problems at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Centers aren’t unique to Richland County’s jail, Livingston said. Jails across South Carolina and the U.S.. have the same problems.

At the end of the September, the longtime jail director, Ronaldo Myers, retired amid accusations he worsened the situation by taking unauthorized leave and for not being at the jail on the day of the attacks, as reported by the Post and Courier.

With leadership at the jail changing, now is the time for a new plan that will guide the jail’s future, County Councilman Joe Walker III said.

“Having heard the stories firsthand of deplorable work and housing conditions at the Alvin S Glenn detention facility, coupled with the staffing shortages, it’s abundantly clear that a new plan and direction is needed,” Walker said. “My encouragement to administration would be to enlist the assistance of experts, build a holistic strategic plan, identify funding needs and get it in front of council immediately. I cannot imagine a well presented plan being dismissed by this council as we as a body have continued to push for improvements at (Alvin S. Glenn).”