LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Metro Corrections Director Dwayne Clark has called for a civil rights investigation into one of the recent deaths at the jail. There were three deaths reported between Nov. 29 and Dec. 4. He could not disclose which case the civil rights investigation is directed towards.
"It'll be done by the FBI and that's pretty much all I can say on that," Clark said.
The investigation was announced in front of the Louisville Metro Council Public Safety Committee, which held a special discussion Wednesday after three people died in one week at Louisville Metro Department of Corrections (LMDC).
Councilwoman Jessica Green (D-1) led the discussion, which included comments from Metro Corrections Director Dwayne Clark and Metro Corrections FOP Lodge 77 President Daniel Johnson.
Clark shared new details surrounding the three deaths that occurred at the correctional facility between Nov. 29 and Dec. 4.
The first death was reported on Nov. 29. A 59-year-old male was taken to the hospital and later died after suffering a “medical event” at LMDC. Clark said the man’s cause of death is pending, but he was told by medical staff that the preliminary diagnosis was heart disease.
A woman incarcerated at LMDC died a few days later on Dec. 3. Clark said the woman was found unresponsive in the housing facility and was taken to the hospital where she died. Her cause of death is still pending as well, along with results from the toxicology report.
Clark said the third death at LMDC was a woman who took her own life in a holding cell on Dec. 4. He said the woman was involved in two separate fights in differing housing areas the day before her death and had a "self-reported mental health condition" when she arrived at the facility.
Clark said there was “no evidence” that correctional staff contributed to any of the deaths, but said each incident was still under investigation by both LMPD and LMDC. He said the investigation will look into how staff members responded and if they acted properly in each situation.
While LMDC officials said there have been four deaths reported at the facility this year, Clark said he "did not know” the exact number when posed the question.
"You make that hard for me when you start out with not knowing how many people lost their lives in your custody over the course of a year," Metro Councilman Mark Fox (D-13) told Clark.
Clark later clarified that he was "reasonably sure" about the number of deaths, but didn't want to give "an about number" to the council.
During Wednesday's discussion, Metro Corrections FOP Lodge President Daniel Johnson told the council he believes the deaths come down to a lack of staffing at LMDC. On the night of the suicide, LMDC said there were only five officers and one sergeant working the floor.
“I think there is an absolute correlation between the level of care that we can provide and a level of observation to our staffing numbers to the point that yes, if we had more people there working, we could check on these folks every ten minutes, we could check on them every 15 minutes, if we had enough people, we could check on them every five minutes,” Johnson said. “But trying to take care of 200 people in an area with just two officers is not enough.”
Metro Corrections has been dealing with staffing shortages for months, with some officers working 72 to 80 hours per week. In September, Johnson said there were 120 open positions in the department with fewer than two dozen new hires to fill those roles.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced a tentative agreement with the FOP that would increase starting pay and add raises for corrections officers. In a press release, Johnson said the agreement will be presented to FOP members for a vote.
The ACLU of Kentucky announced Monday that it plans to submit a letter demanding both the Jefferson County Attorney's Office and the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office stop requesting bench warrants with cash bonds for anything that does not threaten community safety to decrease the number of inmates lodged at LMDC.
Contact reporter Heather Fountaine at hfountaine@whas11.com and follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Heather) and Facebook.
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