Two San Francisco jails put on lockdown over the weekend
SAN FRANCISCO (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Two San Francisco jails were put on lockdown over the weekend. The Sheriff's department says it comes after an increase in attacks on jail staff.
It also sparked major concern as the Deputy Sheriff's Union, which is demanding the California National Guard to come in to help.
At San Francisco County Jail #2 downtown, and at County Jail #3 in San Bruno, all visits, programs, and services were canceled this past weekend.
The San Francisco Sheriff's Office (SFSO) put both facilities on lockdown, saying there's been an increase in assaults on deputies and jail staff by inmates.
Ongoing investigations
"These are aggressive, combative attacks," said Ken Lomba, President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriff's Association.
Lomba couldn't share specifics because of the ongoing investigations.
The sheriff's office says since March 29, inmates have injured seven staff members.
Lomba says if you count starting March 24, inmates have attacked deputy sheriffs nine times, and he says inmates are attacking other inmates too.
Root causes
The sheriff's department says that it is actively investigating these physical assaults against deputies and jail staff. They also say it's imperative for them to understand the root causes of these attacks.
"On April 12th, it was like the worst day in my history of the department. It just felt like the bottom just fell out of the department, cause of all of the attacks on deputies and the prisoner on prisoner fights," Lomba shared.
Lomba believes this spike in violence is directly related to a staffing shortage in the department. On Saturday, he sent a letter on behalf of the union to the sheriff and city leaders, demanding they call in the California National Guard fill in the staffing gaps.
"We could put them in positions at city hall, we could put them in positions at the court, we could put them in positions at the jail," Lomba explained.
Lomba says these recent attacks and staffing issues are impacting deputy morale.
The department says normal jail operations should resume next week, but didn't specify exactly when.
