Memo sent to Nevada prison staff calls for increased security after elaborate escape of convicted killer

By Drew Andre

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    LAS VEGAS, Nevada (KVVU) — A memo was sent to all staff requiring new protocol at Southern Desert Correctional Center (SDCC), following the inmate escape.

“Something’s going to happen when you have that much put on that few people responsible in an environment that’s as chaotic as prison,” president of Fraternal Order of Police Nevada C.O. Paul Lunkwitz said.

Lunkwitz, a former corrections officer at SDCC and president of a union that represents corrections officers, said staffing failures likely contributed to the escape of convicted murder Porfirio Duarte-Herrera.

Lunkwitz said the unit he escaped from typically has just one guard for 200 inmates, and the guard tower that would have eyes on the unit and escape route through the fence has been unmanned for over a year.

The memo the warden sent to all staff adds changes to inmate counts. It said there will be a minimum of two officers required for all counts.

It also said that two of the prison’s guard towers must be staffed 24 hours a day until the fence is repaired.

Lunkwitz said staff tell him this is already not working and will only increase overtime. According to the union president, it’s common for corrections officers to work 16 hour shifts several days a week.

“If you’ve got people that can’t see straight because they’ve been going back and forth on four hours of sleep a day driving back and forth to the prisons, it’s something that adds up,” Lunkwitz said.

“We’re going to get to the bottom of what has happened and determine what action needs to be taken going forward to bring some stability to the department of corrections,” Gov. Steve Sisolak said.

On Thursday, Sisolak said issues in the department have been difficult to get under control, and said he has spoken with the director directly about a number of issues in the prison system. Sisolak said the communication from the department following the escape should have been handled differently.

“We will get to the bottom of what happened and appropriate action will be taken against anybody that was involved with it,” Sisolak said.

Duarte-Herrera is booked in the Clark County Detention Center but will eventually be transferred back to a Nevada State Prison.

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