Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Sarah Brown – Managing Editor

Crisp County Sheriff’s Office

On June 3, 2024 an incident occurred in the Crisp County Jail regarding an inmate and two detention officers. This incident was not criminal but was unprofessional and against the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office policy. Two detention officers were in the procession area with an inmate who was present. One of the officers was attempting to download tattoo photos and link them to the jail files. It is important to note that the officer on duty and the inmate have family connections. Unfortunately, the officer made a bad judgment call based on the relationship to the inmate and requested the assistance of said inmate to explain to how to connect the cords and the camera on the system. This required the inmate to be in an area that is prohibited. At not time during the incident, was inmate personal information seen or discussed.

Corrective measures and disciplinary actions have been taken against the officers. However, at some point during the incident another officer had taken pictures of the inmate in the prohibited area and disseminated the photos amongst the jail staff and recently dismissed disgruntled employee. The investigation has revealed that the photos have now circulated into the public and further investigation is ongoing into the matter.

Sheriff Billy Hancock said, “This is a misfortunate event. However, I continue to vow to you, that I will lead a transparent agency with honesty and integrity. Continued security measures have been taken to reiterate the security and safety of our jail facility and records.”