ICSO creates time capsule to be opened in 2048
EL CENTRO — In an effort to preserve the history of its newly built Oren R. Fox Detection Facility, Imperial County Sheriff’s Office created a time capsule filled with documents and memorabilia to be opened by jail staff in the year 2048.
Burying of the capsule took place Tuesday afternoon at the staff entrance of the facility. Sheriff Raymond Loera and various ICSO administration and staff members were among those present.
While the Sheriff’s Office chose not to disclose exactly what was buried in the capsule in order to keep it a surprise for jail staff 30 years from now, ICSO Lt. David Tirado did mention the memorabilia inside details the history of the detention facility from its blueprint stage to its completion.
“Most time capsules are kept secret, and we decided that if everybody knew what was in there today, nobody would care 30 years from now, so we want that curiosity,” Lt. Tirado said. “There are photos, memorabilia and Sheriff’s Office knickknacks. There are also CDs with information. There’s even a mystery key in there.”
The six-gauge stainless steel capsule was buried at surface level and measured at 8 inches by 11 inches by 4 inches. It was the first capsule the Sheriff’s Office has ever done, Tirado said.
Instead of burying the capsule under brick or cement, as is common, ICSO placed it under a cover, which can be pried off when the time comes.
That time, as stated on the cover, will be Jan. 10, 2048, which is 30 years to the day from when the capsule was officially sealed.
Placement of the time capsule was strategic, Tirado said.
“This is where the public will come in through,” he said. “This isn’t where the arresting agencies come through, so we want to make sure that everyone could see where the time capsule was.
Filling the capsule took a matter of months, and ICSO staff assigned to the Corrections Division were welcome to submit their own memorabilia.
“It wasn’t just us saying, ‘This is what we want in there.’ [Staff] came up, too, and asked if they could submit things,” Tirado said. “We went through quite a few months to make sure that everything that we put in there, we thought was relevant. There were a lot of photos and a lot of information about what they did, what positions they’ve held, and so it’s pretty neat.”
Inspiration to create the capsule came to ICSO Corrections Chief Jaime Clayton while visiting the Sacramento International Airport.
“I was there, and they have a huge time capsule, and I took a picture of it,” Chief Clayton said. “And thought it was a great idea, since it’s not costly to do.”
After sharing the idea, Clayton’s team was all for it.
“We wanted people to know the work that was involved in the building,” Chief Clayton said. “And nobody in our county administration had built a county jail, so it was important to capture all of those things that we learned as we worked on this project.”
The Fox Detention Facility represents more than six years of collaborative work, initiated by a $33 million grant the county had received in October 2011 from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the California Board of State and Community Corrections.
An official grand opening ceremony for the facility was held Jan. 10.
For the capsule, Clayton wrote a memo to the sheriff of 2048.
“[I wrote] just that we were honored to have done this for them and that we know that the building is still going to be standing, and we hope it’s still beautiful and we hope that his team of 2048 has love and passion for this building like we do,” the ICSO chief said.
With its life span estimated between 40 and 50 years, it is believed the detention facility will still be in good operating condition when staff pry open the capsule in 2048.