LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Flu season and the shortage of officers within Louisville Metro Department of Corrections (LMDC) has led to a huge increase in overtime pay.
FOP President Daniel Johnson said the jail has spent more than $100,000 in overtime in the past 10 days.
He said officers have called out sick and several have to go on hospital runs with incarcerated persons; at times, leaving two officers at the jail to cover about 400 incarcerated people.
“It's not uncommon that we can see three or four incidents happening simultaneously, and so if that was to happen when we're that short-staffed, I mean, it's gonna put people in danger,” Johnson said. “It's a powder keg. It's a ticking time bomb.”
Johnson said movement is limited in the jail right now.
Major Darrell Goodlett said the short staffing has been expensive recently, but he is proud to see recruitment progress.
Monday, LMDC graduated its first lateral class, which is a class of officers who came from other agencies.
“We look to really expand that program,” Goodlett said. “I think it's a great opportunity. It helps our department because it brings people here that already have experience in corrections or law enforcement.”
Goodlett said LMDC is short about 75 officers, down from more than 100 at the beginning of the year.
"We didn't get in the staffing situation overnight, and overnight, it's not going to be fixed,” he said. “But, over the next several months or a year, our goal is to be fully staffed.”
Johnson said he appreciates the recruiting efforts from jail leadership.
Metro Council is watching the jail closely and has an ongoing investigation. President David James said LMDC is already better off with new leadership.
“I'm glad we're in a better spot than we would have been, but we're still not in a good spot,” he said.
James, a former cop, said overtime is a symptom of the shortage, but he's worried about the officers' mental health.
“That stress transfers back and forth between the residents and the staff, and so the lower we keep everybody's emotions, at the jail, the better things will be,” James said.
Goodlett said 16 more officers will graduate the academy in just a few weeks. In January, he said LMDC plans to start two more training academies.
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