Nebraska Corrections officials are evaluating what went right and what can be done better when it comes to surprise raids at its prisons.
On Sunday, more than 30 Nebraska National Guard members arrived at the Lincoln Correctional Center to search the cells for drugs, weapons, cellphones, and other contraband.
This was a first of its kind mission for the National Guard, according to corrections director Scott Frakes. "This was a training weekend for them and that was one of the reasons we scheduled it the way we did," Frakes told 6 News.
It’s similar to two inspections last month at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, which has a big problem according to the inspector general, with K-2, cellphones and homemade alcohol.
The Nebraska State Patrol and Lincoln Police assisted with the last search, allowing for searches to be more efficient and faster. Corrections officials have called the contraband problem “significant”.
In the latest search, Frakes says they did find some weapons, some drugs, and tattoo equipment. "Pretty typical prison contraband. I was pleased it wasn't an unusually large amount, but was significant to justify the time and energy we put into this search," Frakes told 6 News.
He says help from the National Guard may be requested again in the future. "My sense is it was mutually beneficial and we'll look for further opportunities to do that. We have 10 facilities and all of them need attention," Frakes says.
Critics have argued that the State Patrol and National Guard would not be needed for these surprise searches if prison staffing wasn't at crisis proportions.
According to Frakes they are working on a solution.