IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A regulator says the prison that houses Iowa’s most violent offenders is exposing workers to harm by equipping them with radios that sometimes don’t work during emergencies and poorly trained security dogs.
The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration found 21 serious violations during a recent inspection of the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. The agency is seeking a $49,500 fine against the Iowa Department of Corrections.
The Associated Press obtained the citation as part of a personnel appeal recently made public. The citation says radios fail to bring assistance to correctional officers who are under attack by inmates, including during two assaults that injured workers.
It also says the department failed to provide K-9 officers with adequate time to train animals, which has led to dogs disobeying handlers.
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