After completing my morning workout, I contact my
partner for the day, Deputy Jones. Jones and I are assigned to transport
9 prisoners from the Spokane County Jail and book them into the Benton
County Jail. Prisoners are moved by the Marshals Service for a number of
reasons, some being sentenced defendants (proved guilty of crime), warrant of removals
(court order to move a prisoner), Bureau of
Prison transfers (move prisoners to another institution), etc. My partner gets all the paper work ready while I
gather all of the equipment that is required with transporting
prisoners. After completing these tasks we go to the jail. We identify
each prisoner to be sure we have the correct person and then search each
prisoner for contraband (hidden items). Leg irons are placed on their ankles and waist
chains are run around their waists then secured with handcuffs. The
prisoners are put into the van and away we go. We arrive into Kennewick
at 1130 hrs (11:30am) and book (record) the prisoners into the Benton County Jail. The
booking process takes about 45 minutes to complete and entails the
booking officer asking each prisoner medical questions and questions
involving their name, date of birth, address, next of kin, etc. We
complete the booking process and depart for Spokane. We decide to stop
for some fast food . . . this is why we work out every day. When we
arrive back at our office in Spokane, I complete more paperwork which is
required after moving prisoners. Deputy Jones inventories the
prisoners’ property and boxes it up for shipping. The only property that
is booked into the jail is money, medicines, legal papers, eye glasses
and the clothes they are wearing.
While Deputy Jones and I were working on the
property, the FBI brought into our cell block a prisoner that they
arrested on bank robbery charges. Our holding/cell block is used during
the work day to hold prisoners that are brought over from the jail for
court hearings. Also, if a federal agency makes an arrest, as in this
case, they are housed in the cell block until they see a magistrate
judge and then booked into the local jail. I begin the booking process
which consists of photographing, fingerprinting, and taking biographical
information of the prisoner. Upon completing the booking process I get
Deputy Jones and one of the arresting FBI agents and we escort the new
arrest to court. While we wait for the judge to come into the courtroom,
the prisoner meets his new attorney who happens to be from the Federal
Defenders Office. When the judge comes out on the bench, she explains to
the prisoner his constitutional rights (such as, a right to an attorney,
right to remain silent, right to a speedy trial). This hearing takes 15
minutes and we head back upstairs to the Marshals holding cell. Court
duty is one of the more important duties that deputy Marshals perform.
While we safeguard the prisoner, we also protect the judge and their
staff from any possible threats that may occur from either outside the
courtroom or from the prisoner.
I have an hour left in the day so I go through the
warrants that are assigned to me. These are usually cold cases that need
to be run through several computer programs that would tell me if there
is any new information on the fugitives’ whereabouts. I complete this
task after 2 hours and call it a day. I hope to take my wife out for a
movie tonight.
