Thumbs

THUMBS UP for the members of Iowa Council 61, who forced the resignation of Sally Halford as head of the state corrections department. Halford was nominated for a second term in March, but the union lobbied strongly against her return to office, saying she had demonstrated poor judgment in day-to-day matters and in crises. "This is one director who needed to move on," says Council 61 Pres. Jan Corderman, who is also an International vice president. "We’re anxious to work with a director who shares our concern for public safety and the safety of our officers."

THUMBS DOWN for Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley, who was accused by the members of AFSCME Local 3190 (Council 97) and their boss, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, of being unfit to represent the sheriff department’s employees. According to a March 18 article in The Arizona Republic, a two-page letter signed by Local 3190 Pres. Bruce Levitch accused Romley of creating "a cloud of untrust" within the county jail system. Arpaio said Romley had a blatant conflict of interest and abused his client-attorney privilege by publicly criticizing jail detention officers.

THUMBS UP for the Pennsylvania judge who convicted a Camp Hill inmate of aggravated assault and assault by a prisoner on a corrections employee. The inmate — who had stabbed Sgt. Robert L. Smith, a member of AFSCME Local 2495 (Council 13) — was sentenced to a maximum of 8 years. Smith was back on the job within a few days.

THUMBS UP for Ohio’s House of Representatives, which passed a bill making it a felony for inmates to throw bodily substances like blood, feces and urine at COs or anyone else. Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA)/AFSCME Local 11 Staff Rep. James McElvain testified for the bill, stating: "When an inmate deliberately attempts to have an employee come in contact with bodily substances, it is not just an issue of discomfort. It is, in fact, a potentially life-threatening matter."