Louisville Metro Corrections - Jail - Exterior

Pictured: the exterior of Louisville Metro Corrections in downtown Louisville, Ky. (WDRB File)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Three Louisville Metro council members filed a resolution Monday calling for a vote of "no confidence" in the leadership of the city's jail.

In a news release, Councilwoman Amy Holton Stewart, D-25, Councilman Mark Fox, D-13 and President David James, D-6, said they believe Louisville Metro Corrections Director Dwayne Clark and his staff are "failing to properly lead the officers and protect the inmates."

Over a six-week stretch late in 2021 and early in 2022, five people died at the jail. One man died by suicide on Jan. 2, three people died at the jail over a five-day period in late November and early December, and another died in the second week of January.

"The jail is understaffed and overcrowded, and that is creating a dangerous scenario for both the officers and inmates," Holton Stewart said in a news release." Despite Metro Council making every effort to work with the Metro Corrections administration, Director Clark is failing to prioritize positive changes with any sense of urgency. Metro Council needs to send a clear message that we no longer have any confidence in Director Clark’s leadership."

In September, the union representing the jail's officers overwhelmingly casted a vote of no-confidence in Clark. Two-hundred-and-sixteen of the 222 union members polled voted "no confidence" in Clark and his leadership.

Monday's announcement came after a day when 18 officers were working with 1,640 inmates at the jail. Council members said there should have been 50 officers.

"Director Clark, who is a sworn officer, admitted that he did not show up to help his staff, navigate the rough waters that past weekend," Holton Stewart said. "In my book, that's what leaders do."

Daniel Johnson, the union president has echoed these issues for months, saying something needs to be done. The resolution stated there are more than 130 sworn vacancies at the jail.

“The primary responsibility of government is the protection of its citizens, and that includes those in our custody,” Fox said in a news release. “Recent events, including a manpower shortage that did not occur overnight, have shaken my confidence in the current management team’s ability to lead. The officers of LMDC do an extremely challenging job very well and deserve leaders that provide a safe and well managed work environment. Those in our custody deserve the same!”

A statement from Jessica Wethington with Mayor Greg Fischer's office says Clark and his team have made "significant strides" in addressing challenges at the jail.  

"There are record openings in workforces across the country, and our Metro Corrections is no different, suffering historic vacancy rates for in both sworn and civilian staff," Wethington said. "Our Corrections leadership team is facing unprecedented challenges in the past two years during the global pandemic, so it is expected that Director Dwayne Clark and his team will be examined from every corner."

James said in a news conference Monday that more people are going to die inside the jail, if action isn't taken now.

"There's also been failures of leadership, unprofessionalism and just a lack of addressing the smuggling of narcotics into the jail, which has led to these deaths and many other incidents with inside the jail," James said. "A sense of urgency is needed."

The resolution is expected to be assigned for discussion during the Feb. 3 meeting of Metro Council.

"It is no secret that Metro Corrections has been in a downward spiral for quite some time," Johnson said in a statement. "The foundation at Metro Corrections is its workforce which has been in a steady decline for several years. Until recently there has been no urgency placed on the staffing crisis at Metro Corrections. Even now it seems far more emphasis is being placed on just trying to bring in new employees and very little effort is being placed on retaining its experience Officers. We are not surprised by this proposed resolution and we hope it will help turn things around at Metro Corrections."

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