Frederick County Jail Staff, Correctional Officers Assist With Food Services During COVID-19 Outbreak

The facility worked together to ensure inmates received three meals a day

 

 

 

 

 

Frederick, MD (KB) Assistant Director of Inmate Services at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center, Randy Martin, said when over ten inmates tested positive for the coronavirus in early January, he said he, the staff and officers stepped up to help with facility maintenance.

“I’m a civilian, and my staff, and the correctional officers, they’re the uniformed personnel,” Martin explained. “It was an effort of all of us and again, it was never a meeting or asking for volunteers, it was, ‘what do you need us to do?'”

Martin said he and his team helped food services plate meals for the inmates.

“The rest of the staff chipped in when it was time to prepare the meals on a tray,” explained Martin. “They didn’t have enough staff to plate the meals every day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It got to a point they turned some of us away.”

Martin said the officers took necessary precautions to prevent the virus from spreading further when they delivered the meals.

“Gloves, masks, shields, everything,” said Martin. “But as a daily precaution, we wear masks all day and constantly wash our hands, the social distancing that has been asked of all of us.”

He said he is proud of the entire facility for stepping up to do the right thing.

“I think it speaks to the leadership, it speaks to us just, the culture that’s here. People want to help each other and that was a big need,” stated Martin.

Frederick County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Todd Wivell said there have been 22 cases of COVID-19 at the Detention Center since January 2021. He said their are 10 active inmate cases.

Wivell also said there have been 9 coronavirus cases among staff members, but there are currently no active staff cases.