GCDC leads nation with most certified jail officers
The Garland County Detention Center has achieved the number one ranking in the nation for the most certified jail officers in a single facility, with a total of 64 certifications, according to the American Jail Association and Sheriff Mike McCormick.
This “unprecedented milestone” was announced on Tuesday by McCormick after 23 deputies at the detention center applied and tested for national certification through the AJA between November and December 2020, a news release said.
“I think this is another example of the professionalism we’ve got out at the Garland County Detention Center,” McCormick told The Sentinel-Record on Friday. “We continue to strive and get better all the time.”
McCormick said he was “very happy” with the achievement, noting, “I think we have the most professional detention center in the state of Arkansas, if not on a national basis. I am very proud of everybody out there. I know I keep saying that all the time, but I truly am.”
Chief Deputy of Corrections Steven Elrod said everyone who tested, all 23, passed, which was a first, and it was also the most they have had take the test since they began. “We’ve never had a group this large before,” he said.
“We try to get all employees certified, but it’s their choice. It’s not mandatory,” Elrod said. “They don’t get more pay; it’s more of a personal development program. Increase their knowledge, increase their professional status, and to show they are certified to do the job they’re doing.”
He said the certification involves a three-hour exam and tests for competency and mastery of jail operations.
The training the officers undergo is a combination of field training programs, online training, bulletins, shift briefings and annual training, he said, noting the achievement shows they are giving them “the right components to a level” where they can be certified as jail officers.
“It’s a real testament that we’ve done something right in our training that we had that high of a pass rate,” Elrod said, noting he reached out to the AJA to “make sure it’s accurate we’ve got the most and they confirmed we’re number one in the nation.”
Elrod noted there are several large facilities on the list, including ones in Florida, Colorado, California, and “we still had more (CJOs) compared to them. The most for any single facility.”
He said they were “excited” to receive the news this week, noting, “We were thrilled whenever we made it to third place a few years back so we were very surprised after the COVID-19 pandemic, through all this, that the staff remained focused on profession
al development and continued to enhance their knowledge.”
To have that many test and have a 100% pass rate “through all this” shows they “stayed focused on the vision and I was very impressed,” he said.
The following 23 candidates were certified after the last test: Jimmy Caldwell, James Cheatwood, Barbara Falasca, Austin Harrell, Rhonda King, Amanda Medina, Dylan Parsons, Aaron Standiford, Austin Thompson, Robin White, James Yerina, Kelly Hall, Charles Chandler, Julian Cooper, Wendy Guthrie, Nicholas Killian, Ryan Kluever, Alexander Nelson, Marcus Southerland, Cheiana Sykes, Mason Tilley, David Willcutt and Colleen Smith.
“The Certified Jail Officer is awarded to line staff and firstline jail supervisors upon the completion of a background application and an intensive threehour examination which tests for competency and mastery of jail operation knowledge and skills at the line and first line supervisory levels. Based upon the results of the most recent application and testing, the Garland County Sheriff’s Office Detention Division continues to lead the State of Arkansas and now leads the nation with the highest number of Certified Jail Officers in the United States,” an AJA news release said.
The American Jail Association is a national, nonprofit, educational organization delivering professional development, personal certification and advocacy services to correctional personnel at all ranks and operational levels working in the nation’s 3,200-plus jails and detention facilities, the release said.