More contraband was found during a day-long, highly coordinated search of the Nebraska State Penitentiary. Members with the Nebraska State Patrol, Lincoln Police Department and corrections staff conducted the operation. It also included members of the Corrections Emergency Response Team and the Special Operations Response team. More than 100 people took part in the search.
Director Scott Frakes says, "“This was a first-of-its-kind operation for Nebraska’s prison system. It has been kept under wraps for weeks. It had to be, otherwise, the effectiveness would have been completely compromised.”
According to a news release dated from the Department of Corrections, the latest sweep started at 6 a.m.on Wednesday, September 18th.
“We also had specially trained K-9 dogs from an outside organization on site to expedite the process,” noted Director Frakes. “In terms of personnel from outside NDCS, we had nearly 40 additional individuals -- all bringing their expertise and law enforcement technology to bare.”
The prison went into lockdown around 4:30 a.m. Frakes says this was a strategic operation and well thought out.
“The inspector general (for the Nebraska Correctional System) has been critical over the last few days, implying that the search of the penitentiary on September 4th was incomplete. Today’s larger operation was always part of a bigger plan.”
Director Frakes said details about which areas were searched or not searched at the state penitentiary would remain under wraps. “Revealing information about how the searches were conducted or the technology used would be counter intuitive. I want to be able to rely on these resources again.”
The director also expressed his appreciation to Colonel John Bolduc of the State Patrol and to Chief Jeff Bliemeister of LPD for providing the personnel to make today’s exercise possible. “