Benton jail officers unhappy with sheriff’s ‘tug of war’ with county

Six weeks after the Benton County jail was taken away from the sheriff’s department, a handful of corrections officers spoke publicly for the first time to say it was a welcome and much-needed change.

One-by-one, the officers thanked the Benton County commissioners at a recent board meeting.

The current and former employees said it’s been frustrating to see details publicized about the takeover and the less-than professional behavior of county officials, while no one is hearing directly from the jail staff.

“I see some light and I appreciate the fact that you guys stood up and keep taking the heat for us,” said Cynthia Young, a jail employee since 2006.

“We give so much to our community and so much to our jobs. We have to. We have to stick together. We are one big team,” said Officer Terry Blumenthal. “We fight a big, ugly monster every day. We don’t need a monster to be running our jail at the same time.”

The commissioners voted 2-1 on Oct. 22 to remove control of the jail from Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher.

That left Hatcher with the patrol and investigative divisions in the sheriff’s office, and placed running the jail in the hands of the county commissioners.

The change took effect just 14 hours later at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 23.

Young said it was a knee-jerk reaction by her former boss to immediately order the removal of all badges and patches from the corrections’ staff uniforms and the covering up of any reference to “sheriff” inside the jail or on jail vehicles.

She described it as “petty stuff” and said it could have been handled in a more professional manner, but added that she appreciated the commissioners taking a leap on something they’d been talking about doing for at least two years.

Union endorsed change

The unions and new jail leaders have since spoken out in favor of the decision and have said the transition is going smoothly.

But those directly affected by the takeover felt it was time their voices be heard, especially since Hatcher continues to try to regain control.

Commission Chairman Shon Small, who voted against the takeover, said they usually like people to keep their comments under two minutes, but the board allowed the officers to talk longer because they are “part of the big Benton County family.”

Commissioner Jerome Delvin asked for another special public meeting Tuesday, Dec. 10, on the corrections department and encouraged jail staff to attend and keep the discussion going.

The presentation also will include an update on jail operations, the jail budget and risk management.

Delvin said it should “be beneficial to everyone.”

Jail officer commissions

The county had been trying to work with the sheriff on extending limited commissions to the jail officers so they could carry out law enforcement duties, including serving warrants, making courtroom arrests and providing courtroom security.

Hatcher did not grant that request beyond an initial 30-day extension.

So after the Nov. 30 deadline, Benton County sheriff’s deputies took over those duties, said jail Commander Scott Souza.

Officer Blumenthal told the county commissioners that Hatcher apologized to jail employees one week after the takeover and said he “would do everything in (his) power to maintain control of jail operations.”

Blumenthal said the jail is being treated like a piece of valuable real estate or a pile of money that is being pushed back and forth between two powers, with each side accusing the other of having ulterior motives.

But what is getting lost is that the 85-plus officers, and additional supervisors and support staff, are “living, breathing human beings that are caught in this tug of war.”

“We’re like a man without a country right now. We don’t know what is going to happen,” said Blumenthal. “It’s kind of, not a tough spot to be in, but it makes you feel like you’re not that important, truly.”

From the badges and patches being removed from their uniforms to their commissions being taken, then given back, and then taken once again, Blumenthal said they are caught in a power struggle.

He put a face to some employees by sharing details about their personal lives and the daily challenges of the job being responsible for the well-being of inmates, especially those who are suicidal or violent.

Sheriff’s department co-workers “right next door” in the patrol and detective divisions have received everything they need to do their jobs, while the jail staff was deprived of staff and forced to work longer hours as their budget mysteriously dwindled, Blumenthal claimed.

“We are real people and we do need this positive change, for the sheriff not to get the jail back. This is how we’re going to grow and improve,” he said.

Tuesday’s meeting is at 2 p.m. in the commission conference room at the Benton County Justice Center in Kennewick.

This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 11:17 AM.