Why did it take so long for the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office to notify the public about what happened? The jailbreak happened around 1 a.m. Friday, but the sheriff's office didn't notice until 8:30 a.m. The OPSO waited another couple of hours to notify the public.
Today, officials from the sheriff's office admitted that their own procedures--or lack thereof--may have led to that delay.
"There were failures," Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson told city council members, adding that investigators are trying to determine if those failures were intentional or the result of something else.
Among the failures: inconsistent morning head count times. OPSO chief of corrections Jay Mallett told council members that the first head count in the jail doesn't take place at breakfast.
"The first meal is usually served around 5:15," Mallett said.
"Is there a head count at that point?" Councilman Joe Giarusso asked?
"There is no head count at that point. No, sir," Mallett responded. "Head count is at shift change. Individuals all the time refuse to eat breakfast for a lot of reasons."
So when do head counts take place?
"Without getting into the complexities of day-to-day, the count varies (as to) when it clears," Mallett said, noting that head counts take place depending on what appointments inmates have. "They may be going to a medical appointment. They may be going to court. They may have attorney-client visits. There's a lot going on at the crack of dawn."
That admission left councilmembers stunned.
"So you're saying that... that it's not unusual for counts to be off?" Councilwoman Helena Moreno asked.
"It's not unusual," Mallett replied.
Now, council members want to see the security logs to find out who was--or was not--making rounds in the jail when the breakout happened.
"When will those be made public?" Giarrusso asked Sheriff Hutson.
"We'll talk to our partners about that," Hutson answered.
"I think you can specifically say to them that the council is also requesting them because, I think, that is part of the whole notification issue as well," Giarusso responded.
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