Md. COs Participate in Prison Drug Sweep

Two hundred and fifty AFSCME COs worked alongside state police officers, fire and rescue personnel and drug-sniffing dogs to perform a surprise 16-hour drug sweep at the maximum-security Maryland House of Corrections in Jessup Feb. 13.

They found shanks, prison-made alcohol and hypodermic needles during “the most thorough sweep ever,” says Bernard Ralph, president of AFSCME Local 1678 and area vice president for Council 92. The local represents 700 corrections employees in the Jessup area. Ralph is a sergeant at the 1,300-inmate prison, located halfway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.

The state placed three COs — none were AFSCME members — on administrative leave pending results from mandatory urinalysis tests because they failed preliminary drug tests conducted with an ion scanner, a small portable device that collects dust from clothing and skin, and tests it for drugs.

A $475,000 federal grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy financed the combination crackdown and training exercise, prompted by the prison’s high rate of drug use found in random testing. About 12 percent of the inmates tested positive for drugs last year.

“The tide has turned,” Ralph says. “The COs are taking back ownership of the prison. Morale has skyrocketed. Some inmates are pleased to see the ridding of drugs and weapons, and with our effort to make the prison safer.”