A person escaped from his Rikers cell for practically half a day with nobody noticing — and now staffers on the beleaguered jail face self-discipline over the troubling breakdown of protocols, The Publish has discovered.
The inmate, Michael McKenna, went lacking from his cell in Anna M. Kross Heart in a single day Tuesday, jail sources and metropolis Division of Correction officers stated.
Corrections officers had realized one of many prisoners had gone lacking after their inmate rely round 12:30 a.m. Wednesday got here up brief, sources stated.
However they’d no concept who wasn’t of their cell as a result of the correct paperwork was lacking, in line with sources.
So, sources stated, the staffers by no means even put out a crimson alert to lock down the jail and scramble officers to look — whereas the inmate, who was jailed back in July after an armed standoff with cops outdoors a Bronx precinct, wandered across the grounds.
It wasn’t till 10 hours later when McKenna was noticed within the car parking zone of Anna M. Kross Focus on 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and brought into custody with out incident, officers stated.
A DOC spokesperson confirmed the stunning incident, telling The Publish the “incident is under close, active investigation” and self-discipline for any negligence “will be aggressively pursued.”
The breakdown at Rikers is the most recent instance of the “systemic and deep-seated” problems within the metropolis jail system which have led to staffing shortages and an “ongoing humanitarian crisis” for inmates.
Correction Captains’ Affiliation president Patrick Ferraiuolo stated the botched dealing with of the escape was “part of the whole dysfunctional situation that’s going on on Rikers Island right now.”
“The facility wasn’t aware the inmate was missing in the first place,” stated Ferraiuolo, including it was simply happenstance {that a} captain noticed McKenna “walking alongside the road and attempting to walk through the gates.”
“He was walking towards the street that would lead to the bridge,” he stated. “You don’t know what direction he would’ve went in at that point.”
