BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- A former Kentucky State Police detective who starts work at the Kenton County Jail today plans to help Jailer Terry Carl transform the troubled facility into a model jail.
Rodney Ballard will be in charge of internal investigations, pre-employment background checks and staff training. He'll also be writing procedures and job duties for jail employees.
Mr. Ballard, 43, retired this month from the Kentucky State Police, where he specialized in juvenile physical and sexual abuse cases, and was a detective in the drug enforcement special investigations unit in Lexington. He also is a former Kenton County police officer. He began his law enforcement career in 1976 as a patrolman for the city of Taylor Mill.
"Mr. Carl's committed to making this a model jail, not one everyone points fingers at," Mr. Ballard said. "I'm excited about the prospect."
Mr. Ballard brings "a lot of credibility, a lot of professionalism," Mr. Carl said. "We've got some great people working for us, and some great ideas for the future."
Recently, the Kenton County Jail has been accused of mistreatingjuvenile prisoners. While deputies were cleared in
an investigation prompted by two juveniles' complaints in mid-December, two more teen-agers recently claimed that they were abused or assaulted by guards. Although Mr. Carl has said he believes there is no merit to the most recent accusations, he has moved the accused guards out of the juvenile wing pending an investigation by Kenton County police.
At a hearing in Kenton Circuit Court today, a judge is to hear evidence and decide whether to transfer the teen-age prisoners to another facility, as their lawyers have requested.
As Kenton County's new jailer, Mr. Carl said he will have zero tolerance for two things: illegal drug use by prisoners or jail employees, and abuse of prisoners.
"We're going to treat each inmate in a humane way," he said. "We're not going to tolerate any abuse of prisoners."
Other new hires include Jerry Muse, who started Jan. 4 as the jail's director of daily operations.
"He brings a lot of experience to the job," Mr. Carl said, adding that Mr. Muse worked at the Mason County Detention Center for 10 years, most recently as chief deputy, and was a 20-year police officer.
In another new position, Mr. Carl has brought in Joe Shriver, the former Interdepartmental Enforcement Team coordinator in Newport, to serve as the jail's fiscal manager and run its home incarceration program.
"We needed to get a handle on finances, and try to run the jail as efficiently as possible," Mr. Carl said.
