During a news conference held by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Friday evening, WDSU Anchor Travers Mackel and WDSU Reporter Shay O’Connor grilled Sheriff Susan Hutson over issues raised surrounding a mass inmate escape from the jail. A total of 10 inmates escaped the Orleans Parish Jail Friday morning. One of the inmates has been taken into custody, and nine remain on the run. During the news conference, Mackel pressed Hutson on why her entire staff did not realize that 10 inmates had escaped the jail. “You said you observed these guys running out at 1 a.m. in the morning, what does it say for jailhouse safety and security that you failed to notify anyone? NOPD, the media, public, anyone?” Mackel asked. The sheriff’s office told Mackel that there were more than 900 cameras across the jail, and that the footage of the escape was not reviewed until hours after the escape. “So you do not have someone monitoring the cameras at all times?” Mackel asked. “How did no one see a massive jail break?”According to the sheriff’s office, a civilian employee walked away from the pod to get food at the time of the escape. WDSU Reporter Shay O’Connor asked why a civilian employee was overlooking the pod that housed maximum security inmates. She also pressed the sheriff on former Sheriff Marlin Gusman’s claims that Hutson is lying about the funding available for the jail. The sheriff said she stands behind her statement that the jail has significant infrastructure challenges that make it difficult to maintain security. Mackel pushed back, saying that the jail opened in 2015 and has never had a jail break until now. Another sheriff’s office employee spoke about the civilian overlooking the pod, saying that due to staffing shortages, civilian employees are used to help staff the jail.At the end of the news conference, Mackel asked Hutson if she wanted to offer an apology to the community over the escape. “We first need to find out what happened. We think this is intentional and there is much more that meets the eye. Why did it happen now? Right before the sheriff’s race? This is suspicious, they had help,” Hutson said. “When I have enough information, I’ll be glad to talk to the community about anything I may need to apologize for. What I’m telling the community is that this is a public safety issue. We are digging and we aren’t going to stop.”
During a news conference held by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Friday evening, WDSU Anchor Travers Mackel and WDSU Reporter Shay O’Connor grilled Sheriff Susan Hutson over issues raised surrounding a mass inmate escape from the jail.
A total of 10 inmates escaped the Orleans Parish Jail Friday morning. One of the inmates has been taken into custody, and nine remain on the run.
During the news conference, Mackel pressed Hutson on why her entire staff did not realize that 10 inmates had escaped the jail.
“You said you observed these guys running out at 1 a.m. in the morning, what does it say for jailhouse safety and security that you failed to notify anyone? NOPD, the media, public, anyone?” Mackel asked.
The sheriff’s office told Mackel that there were more than 900 cameras across the jail, and that the footage of the escape was not reviewed until hours after the escape.
“So you do not have someone monitoring the cameras at all times?” Mackel asked. “How did no one see a massive jail break?”
According to the sheriff’s office, a civilian employee walked away from the pod to get food at the time of the escape.
WDSU Reporter Shay O’Connor asked why a civilian employee was overlooking the pod that housed maximum security inmates. She also pressed the sheriff on former Sheriff Marlin Gusman’s claims that Hutson is lying about the funding available for the jail.
The sheriff said she stands behind her statement that the jail has significant infrastructure challenges that make it difficult to maintain security.
Mackel pushed back, saying that the jail opened in 2015 and has never had a jail break until now.
Another sheriff’s office employee spoke about the civilian overlooking the pod, saying that due to staffing shortages, civilian employees are used to help staff the jail.
At the end of the news conference, Mackel asked Hutson if she wanted to offer an apology to the community over the escape.
“We first need to find out what happened. We think this is intentional and there is much more that meets the eye. Why did it happen now? Right before the sheriff’s race? This is suspicious, they had help,” Hutson said. “When I have enough information, I’ll be glad to talk to the community about anything I may need to apologize for. What I’m telling the community is that this is a public safety issue. We are digging and we aren’t going to stop.”
