Services for Correctional Officer Shawn Romero

Man arrested in crash that killed Corrections officer

Stockton Record — Police arrested a man on suspicion of murder, vehicular manslaughter and other crimes Thursday, a month after a collision authorities said he caused killed a member of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Police allege Matthew Luke, 25, was driving under the influence of alcohol when the accident occurred about 6 a.m. Oct. 7 in a rural part of southwest Stockton.

 Luke was traveling west on East Mariposa Road near Austin Road when he drove his 1998 Honda Accord into oncoming traffic in the eastbound lane, causing a collision involving two cars, a tractor-trailer and a motorcycle, authorities said.

 The motorcycle rider was Anthony Gentile, 41, a Corrections Department lieutenant who was working at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

 Police determined that Luke had a blood-alcohol content of 0.05 percent three hours after the collision occurred, said Officer Joe Silva, a spokesman for the Stockton Police Department. Luke had two prior convictions for driving under the influence, according to jail records, and was on probation at the time of the crash, police said.

 Luke was arrested on suspicion of murder, driving under the influence, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, infliction of great bodily injury and causing injury to multiple victims, jail records showed. He is being held without bail at the San Joaquin County Jail.

25th Anniversary of the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial

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CDCR officer killed while helping at traffic accident

Inside CDCR — California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Lieutenant Anthony Gentile died doing what he had devoted his life to doing – keeping the public safe.

 Lt. Gentile, 42, was on his way to work at the California Health Care Facility, Stockton, about 6 a.m. Monday, Oct. 7 when he came upon a multiple-vehicle accident on Mariposa Road southwest of Stockton. Several other drivers were injured.

 When Lt. Gentile saw that no law enforcement officers had yet arrived at the scene, he pulled over and began directing traffic around the accident, to ensure no one else would be injured.

 According to authorities, he was struck and killed by a passing truck. The driver reported that he did not see Lt. Gentile.

 This is a tremendous loss for the CDCR family,” said Secretary Jeff Beard. “Lt. Gentile dedicated his career and his life to keeping others safe. On behalf of all of us at CDCR, I want to extend my deepest sympathies to his family, his friends, and his colleagues.”

 Lt. Gentile began his career with CDCR as a Correctional Officer at the Richard A. McGee Correctional Training Center in Galt. He then served at Folsom State Prison until his promotion to Correctional Sergeant in 2001, which took him to Mule Creek State Prison in Ione.

 In 2007, he returned to Folsom State Prison as a Correctional Lieutenant. He moved to the California Health Care Facility last year to help with the activation. continue reading...

Lathrop deputy credited for saving bleeding man

File Picture

LATHROP – The scene just didn’t look right to Lathrop Police Services’ deputy Jeff Watson. 

Parked on the side of I-5 was a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation transport van with both of the correctional officers standing outside of the vehicles with panicked looks on their faces.

So he stopped. And he was immediately told that an inmate was bleeding out in the back of the van and the two correctional officers didn’t know what to do. What Watson saw when he opened the back doors shook him. 

Inside was a naked, 300-pound man that was completely covered in blood. The man, who had tried to commit suicide earlier in the week by cutting his arms at Kern Valley State Prison, removed his staples and used them to fashion a crude cutting weapon in order to open the wounds even further. 

But he didn’t panic. With medical training as part of his background, he had the two CDCR staffers take the inmate from the transport unit, lay him flat out on the pavement, and immediately he began taking the steps to save the man’s life. He fashioned a tourniquet from a prison jumpsuit and using the fabric to soak up the blood pouring from his wounds. 

On Monday the Lathrop City Council commended Watson for his courage and his composure as Lathrop Police Chief Danelle Hohe presented him with a challenge coin from the prison’s warden. She also gave him a declaration thanking him for not allowing the inmate to die on his way to receive psychiatric care at Stockton’s new prison hospital. 

He also received a commendation from the San Joaquin County Sherriff’s Department for his bravery.

“You come to work every day and you don’t expect to come across something like that,” Watson said. “I have medical training in my background, so when I saw it, a different switch got flipped in my mind and I started thinking about things differently. You try not to get overwhelmed in a situation like that.”

Watson is no stranger to standing before the Lathrop City Council for special recognition. 

Last year he was declared a “hero” after he ran into a burning building to save a family’s pet before fire personnel arrived on scene, and he bestowed the same moniker upon a Lathrop High School student who stepped in to stop a brutal fight that could have had tragic consequences if left unchecked. 

The girl, then 16-year-old Asianya Jones, appeared with Watson before the council for special recognition from the City of Lathrop for her selfless act towards a fellow student.

When somebody recognizes you for the job that you do and they take the time to say thank-you or give you special recognition – it’s nice,” Watson said. “It’s not why you do the job, but it’s definitely rewarding knowing that somebody appreciates the effort that you put in.”

Manteca Bulletin

Prison facilities donate scrubs to health students

STOCKTON - After lugging several boxes of donated medical scrubs into the gym at Health Careers Academy, Cameron Lee paused for a moment and considered the true significance of the gift.

"It's good to know the community is helping us and knows that we can really change the future and make a big impact on society," said the 15-year-old Lee, a sophomore at Stockton Unified's small health high school on the University Park campus.

The school held an assembly Wednesday morning celebrating the gift of about 200 sets of new and used scrubs, which were collected from 34 prison hospitals in California, including the recently opened facility off Arch Airport Road.

Larry Fong, the chief executive officer for Stockton's new $900 million California Health Care Facility, said he hoped the gift would provide encouragement to the nearly 400 students at the school.

"There's a message behind it, that there are folks out there who care and are committed to your mission," Fong said.

Earlier, he had addressed HCA's freshmen, telling them, "Every one of you has the opportunity to choose your career path and chase your dreams. It can be done."

2013-2015 MOU Highlights

CCPOA Member Alert - August 30, 2013

2013-2015 MOU Highlights

Term of Contract § 27.03

• Two Year Contract - Expires July 2, 2015

Salary § 15.01

• 4% salary increase for ALL Unit 6 on January 1, 2015
• NO increase in union dues

41 Hour Work Week § 11.08, § 11.11, § 15.19

• Delete 28 day/164 Hour 7k work period, replace with 7 Day/41 Hour work period. (Effective February 2014)
• No flattening of overtime outside of 7 day work period

Health Benefits § 13.01

• Maintains State Contributions (current 80% for employees and dependents)

Personal Development Days (PDD) § 8.07

• Continue to receive 2 per year for term of the MOU

Drug & Alcohol Testing (Random & Reasonable) § 9.12 & § 9.13
(Previous § 9.12 deleted, § 9.13 and § 9.14 renumbered)

• No expansion of pool
• Restricted to substances listed
• Adopted DOT Guidelines to provide uniformity and consistency

Enhanced Industrial Disability Leave (EIDL) § 10.03

• Enhanced Appeals process to Secretary's Level
• Clarified circumstances for approval

Military Leave § 10.17

• RDO Change to accommodate military reserve weekend drill; employee is not required to utilize leave credits to attend military drill

Mutual Swaps § 11.04

• Holiday Pay for the employee who physically works the holiday
• No new restrictions on swaps

Business Travel Expenses & Per Diem § 12.03 & § 14.01

• Increased amounts for hotel and meal reimbursement during travel
• Amounts adjusted to prevent tax liability
• Per diem extended for life of Involuntary Assignment

Post & Bid § 12.07

• Reduced amount of time an employee can be removed from a bid position
• Clarified language re: Conditional and Continuous bid processes

Uniforms § 14.04 and Sideletter 3

• Joint workgroup to select alternative uniform, including possible alternate uniform shirt options; possible jumpsuits for MTAs

Salary Advances § 15.14 (New Section) (Previous § 15.14 re: PLP Merged with § 10.20)

• Requires a salary advance when regular pay is not received on time

998s & 634s § 18.01 (New Section) (Previous § 18.01-18.07 re: DJJ Field Paroles Deleted)

• No pay dock or Accounts Receivable for a missing 998/634 when no leave credits are used

Correctional Counselors § 20.02, § 20.04 & § 20.05

• Establish CCI Work Study Committee to address workload and policy issues
• Continued CPC (Correctional Policy Committee) to address 3rd Level grievances
• Standardized CCI vacation process

Parole Agents § 19.08

• Incorporate Workload Agreement, to include Ratio Driven Caseload Management Considerations
• Standardized rules for PA overtime (§ 12.05)

DJJ Post & Bid § 24.04 & § 24.08

• Post and Bid for YCOs & YCCs
• Added Conditional and Continuous Bid

No Reduction of Work Hours § 27.05 (New Section)

• No furloughs, PLP, or other mandated time off for the life of the MOU

Field Training Program ? Sideletter 6

• Meet and agree to establish FTO program for new officers
• Reduce academy to 12 weeks, add 1 week orientation, 3 weeks field training
• 5% pay differential for Field Trainers

Disciplinary Process § 9.14 (Previous § 9.15 renumbered)

• No loss of compensation to attend pre-hearing conference and evidentiary hearings

Salinas Valley State Prison Correctional Officer Taken to Outside Hospital Due to Inmate Attack

SOLEDAD – A correctional officer is being treated for injuries he suffered from an attack by a Salinas Valley State Prison inmate this morning.

At 9:43 a.m., the Correctional Officer was on-duty at the institution’s Facility Medical Clinic when inmate Walter Weeks, 29, approached the officer from behind and began to assault him. The assault caused the Officer to fall, striking his head and losing consciousness.

Inmate Weeks was subdued and subsequently transported to the Administrative Segregation Unit.

The Officer was taken to an area hospital for treatment for his injuries, which are still unknown at this time.

Inmate Weeks was committed to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on December 2, 2005 from Los Angeles County to serve a 24-year sentence for carjacking and second-degree robbery.

The matter will be referred to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

SVSP opened May 1996 on approximately 300 acres in Monterey County. The institution provides long-term housing for approximately 3,530 minimum- and maximum-custody male inmates and employs approximately 1,400 staff.

Heroes must wish we treated them as well as criminals

Today: We compare and contrast.

We're going to look at two distinctly different sets of people who nonetheless are oddly attached because of the need for taxpayer dollars in their respective situations.

And, yes, some will quibble over the differences between state and federal funding. They'll argue that apples are being compared to oranges.

Doesn't matter. We'll still compare and contrast.

Consider Group A: It's comprised of veterans from all branches of the United States military. They've served in Vietnam or Korea or more recent wars. There are some - although sadly, a shrinking number - from World War II. Some served the United States military in times when there was no war, but their patriotism and dedication was no less important. They protected our freedom. Many are left with physical and/or mental health needs.

We'll call Group A, quite simply, the Heroes.

Consider Group B: They were arrested and convicted of crimes. They are murderers. Or rapists. Or wife and child abusers. Or drug peddlers. They preyed on people and, in some, cases took the lives of others. They are prisoners. Many of them also are left with physical and/or mental health needs.

We'll call Group B, quite simply, the Criminals.

The Heroes have been commuting over the Altamont Pass, for the most part, for their health care needs. But they've been promised a new 150,000-square-foot Veterans Administration outpatient clinic and 120-bed nursing home in French Camp. Just might take a little longer. A lot longer. There were delays upon delays until the VA finally chose French Camp. Now there's the matter of actually getting the money to build the facility.

Stockton complex answers mandate for inmate medical, mental care

Some Californians think that state prison inmates are pampered. A federal judge didn't see it that way at all, and in 2006 ordered California to substantially improve the medical treatment provided to inmates and to reduce prison overcrowding.

More than anything, that court order is the reason behind the massive new prison hospital that will soon open on the former California Youth Authority property east of the Stockton Airport.

The California Health Care Facility, as it is formally known, was dedicated Tuesday in a ceremony that was mostly celebratory but in which Jeffrey Beard, the head of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, made reference to the federal mandate. He said the $900 million investment should satisfy the federal court's concerns about the state's commitment to provide proper medical, dental and mental health treatments for inmates.

"Is what you see behind me deliberate indifference?" Beard asked rhetorically.

Beard said that the federal receiver overseeing state prison medical care was invited to the open house but did not attend.

The new facility will serve the sickest 1,700 inmates from the other 33 prisons around the state. Some may be transferred in for short-term treatment. Others will spend the remainder of their sentences at the Stockton facility. There is a 29-bed dialysis unit, for example, to serve those with kidney failure. Eight of the 60-bed housing units are devoted to psychiatric care.

The facility is both a hospital and a prison — presenting a dual challenge for Warden Ron Rackley and the staff of seasoned correctional officers he has assembled. There will be no rookie officers here, because the facility will house an unusual mix of violent and repeat offenders — from different gangs and parts of the state. What they have in common are serious medical and mental health ailments. Rackley said the only male prisoners who will be excluded are death-row inmates and juveniles.

Tour of new Calif. health care complex for prisoners in Stockton

The new California Health Care Facility in Stockton was dedicated Tuesday. The $839 million complex will provide medical, mental health, and dental care for 1,722 inmate-patients.

ABC NEWS 10 

2,500 lock up jobs at Stockton prison hospital

STOCKTON — Dignitaries and media members got their first look at California's massive new prison hospital Tuesday, but many of its well-paid staff members have been working there for months.

Psychiatric technician Sod Kommavong commutes up from Ceres. Donna Miles drives over from Tracy. Tonya Juneau just moved to Stockton from Southern California. And R. Addison is trekking down from Jackson every day until she can find a closer place to call home.

A Correctional Sergeant stands outside of one of the secure housing units at the new California Correctional Health Care Facility in Stockton, Calif., Tuesday, June 25, 2013. Dignitaries and the media toured the $839 million facility after dedication ceremonies. The facility, which is expected to begin receiving inmates in July, will treat up to 1, 720 inmate-patients in need of long-term care, freeing up staff and treatment space at the state's 33 adult prisons. (AP Photo/ Rich Pedroncelli) 

Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/25/2779752/2500-lock-up-jobs-at-stockon-prison.html#storylink=cpy

With about 2,500 doctors, nurses, technicians and mental health personnel, plus prison guards and support staff being hired, the new California Health Care Facility is stimulating the Northern San Joaquin Valley's economy.

State prison inmates with serious physical or mental health problems will begin arriving in mid-July. The nearly $900 million facility is expected to fill up with 1,722 patients by December.

Running the place will pump $1 billion a year into the local economy, predicted Jeffrey Beard, California's secretary of corrections and rehabilitation.

"This new (facility) is just the latest example of the state's dedication to providing inmates in California with mental health and medical treatment that rivals any prison health care in the country," Beard said at Tuesday's event. "We are serious about the health and well-being of the inmates entrusted to us."

Beard said just building the place generated 5,500 construction jobs, and there's more of them to come. Another medical complex for 1,133 more inmates — the DeWitt Correctional Annex — is being built next door. That $173 million prison will open in the spring.

State officials like to say these new prisons are in Stockton, but they're actually on rural land in southern San Joaquin County — near Highway 99 just north of Stanislaus County.

Kommavong said it takes him only about 30 minutes to drive there from Ceres. He's excited about his new psych tech job, which is very different from his previous post working at a drugstore.

Attorneys seek limited isolation for mentally ill inmates

Correctional Officer Stella Miles stands in one of the secure inmate-patient housing units of the new California Correctional Health Care Facility in Stockton, Calif., Tuesday, June 25, 2013. Dedication ceremonies were held for the $839 million facility that will treat up to 1,720 patients in need of long-term care, freeing up staff and treatment space at the state's 33 adult prisons. The facility will begin receiving inmates in July. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

This year Gov. Jerry Brown asked a judge to dismiss a decades-old lawsuit that established federal oversight of mental health care in California prisons. But U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton rejected the motion, and the governor’s move blew the case wide open.

In one of the related issues, attorneys for inmates are now seeking to limit the amount of time prison officials can keep mentally ill inmates in isolation units.

California prison officials use Security Housing Units and what's called "administrative segregation" to keep tight control of hard-core inmates, including those whom they identify as prison gang leaders or accomplices.

But more than 3,000 of the men and women who are isolated also suffer from mental disorders.

An attorney for some of those inmates, Michael Bien, said at a Wednesday court hearing in Sacramento that the isolation exacerbates their conditions and may contribute to the high suicide rate in California’s prisons.

“Leaving human beings in isolated, harsh environments without stimulation, without activities, without programming, very limited treatment, very limited exercise, is bad for them," Bien said. "And it’s worse for people with mental illness.”

Dana Simas of California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said the mentally troubled inmates in isolation units suffer from milder conditions — such as behavioral problems — that require less treatment. 

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