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Staffing, more equipment among changes Metro Corrections director highlights

Lt. Col. Jerry Collins, the new director, said they are getting more equipment to guards and working to fight drugs from coming into the jail.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Several weeks after Mayor Greg Fischer appointed a new director for Louisville Metro Corrections (LMDC) -- the jail is making progress in some initial changes.

Lt. Col. Jerry Collins, the new director, said they are getting more equipment to guards and working to fight drugs from coming into the jail.

He said he has also brought in a forensic psychologist to address the collective mental health among both the officers and incarcerated people. The psychologist will also evaluate the mental health protocols the jail currently has in place.

Additionally, staffing has changed except for two majors. Some of the officers he worked with at the Clark County jail have followed him to LMDC.

“My philosophy on leadership is investing and that’s how they grow ... I surround myself with very smart people. An operation this size you can’t possibly make every decision. So, I’m going to put people in their lane and let them drive, that’s what I plan on doing,” he said.

The jail has also seen morale hit a low point with guards as staffing shortages have created issues for the jail.

Collins said, “When I first walked in the jail, we had a little bit of a broken spirit, and we had a little bit of a broken window theory. So, I’ve already started, in conjunction with replacing the officer stations, we’ve already started a paint project, which should be completed in a couple weeks of painting inside the jail, just creating a better environment for them.”

LMDC has been hit with several deaths since last November and numerous reports of drugs getting into the jail. 

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