A Denver sheriff’s deputy fired for failing to notice an inmate hanging himself in a jail cell violated two department policies that also have been at issue in previous cases involving the death and injury of inmates.
Erick Wright, a 15-year department veteran, was fired in July after the department’s internal affairs investigators determined he committed multiple violations, including not making the required rounds through his cell pod and keeping lights dimmed, according to a disciplinary letter obtained by The Denver Post.
Those rule violations are recurring discipline problems among deputies, including in the 2006 death of former inmate and the 2011 assault of former inmate .
Last week, Independent Monitor Nick Mitchell also cited deputies’ failures to make necessary rounds as one of many problems inside the Denver jails.
In Rice’s case, four deputies were disciplined two years after her death for failing to make their rounds. Rice, who had been booked into the jail after being involved in a serious alcohol-related car crash, died in her cell.
The city and Denver Health later paid her family $7 million for failing to notice internal injuries and for not recognizing her serious condition while housed at the jail.
In Hunter’s case, had turned off lights in the cell pod he was guarding because “inmates were screaming” for it, according to his 2012 disciplinary letter.
While the lights were dimmed, multiple inmates beat Hunter and scalded his genitals with hot water. In July, Hunter was awarded a $3.25 million settlement by the city.
In Wright’s case, he did not make rounds from 8 to 10 a.m. during his Oct. 17, 2013, shift in a maximum-security unit, his disciplinary letter said. And he made only one round during the 11 a.m. hour.
Deputies are required to make at least two rounds per hour, and movement through the cell pod is recorded as they scan a card at various stations.
At 11:04 a.m., an inmate told Wright that his cellmate needed medical attention, and the deputy called for help on his radio.
A sergeant and a nurse arrived a minute later and cut the sheet that the inmate used to attempt to strangle himself. The inmate was not breathing, but medical staff resuscitated him, the disciplinary letter said.
Sheriff’s department management determined that Wright’s neglect and careless performance of duties “resulted in severe harm” to the inmate, the disciplinary letter said.
In notifying Wright of his dismissal, a civilian review administrator wrote that “the defiant nature of your behavior with regard to departmental rules, and the circumstances of your misconduct indicate that your conduct is likely not correctable and that your presence in the work place puts inmates and others at significant risk.”
Wright’s disciplinary letter also provides insight into how deputies manage their pods and interpret department rules.
Wright told internal affairs investigators that the department’s policy on lighting was a “shady gray area.” He understood it was not necessary to turn on lights in inmates’ bunks as long as the day areas where inmates eat and watch TV are well lit, the disciplinary letter said.
But said there is no gray area on lights. There are set times for when they are turned off and when they are turned back on, he said.
As for making rounds, Wright said he previously had been instructed to supervise inmates distributing meals and to watch the nursing carts as medications were administered. Sometimes, inmates fight over food, he said.
On the day the inmate attempted suicide, Wright told investigators, he had been overseeing the lunch cart and could not make rounds during that time.
Diggins said two rounds per hour were a requirement with no exceptions in the general population cells. More frequent rounds are required for high-risk inmates.
Mitchell, who last week sent outlining perceived problems in the jails, cited three 2014 disciplinary cases where deputies failed to make their rounds. In addition to Wright’s case, Mitchell found another instance where a deputy ignored an inmate’s medical crisis that should have been discovered during rounds.
That deputy, who was not named, was reading a newspaper and talking on a cellphone. He quit rather than face discipline.
The third deputy, , was fired for failing to perform rounds, for leaving lights off and for allowing inmates to watch music videos on a department computer.
Making rounds and turning on lights are small but important rules inside the jail, said Joseph Sandoval, a criminal justice professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
“One thing that seems clear is that for whatever reason folks sometimes seem to get a bit lazy and don’t seem to recognize the importance of doing those little, and what seem to be inconsequential, checks,” Sandoval said.
It happens in all professions. But deputies have especially challenging jobs where details cannot be overlooked, he said.
“I recognize the difficult task these guys and women have,” Sandoval said. “But there’s a heck of a lot of responsibility placed on them. Just like all of us, a bit of complacency becomes involved.”
Asked about recurring problems with deputies failing to make rounds or keep lights on, Diggins took issue with the assertion that deputies frequently violate the department’s policies.
“It’s not a common occurrence,” he said. “It’s the opposite. Most of our staff is following our policies and procedures.”
Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Noelle_Phillips
