At the moment, there are multiple complaints facing the Multnomah County Sheriff for alleged abuse by deputies against inmates in jail. To better understand the situation, I got to meet with deputies WHILE they train out at the currently empty Wapato Jail facility.

The first thing that surprised me, was the mentality. Like many people, I had the impression that deputies were encouraged to restrain or subdue. Not the case. Sgt. Jose Martinez says the goal is to disengage and get away . . . and considering that deputies marching between the cells may only have a 1.8 ounce can of pepper spray, handcuffs and a radio . . . sometimes the only way to disengage an attacker is with an offensive strike.

About fifteen deputies of varying sizes walked through their training on mats in sock feet . . . in each case, they simulated an attack by an inmate . . . either simply being held to the ground or being physically struck with punches and kicks . . . In each scenario, deputies try to use body weight and center of gravity to escape . . . get up . . . and call for help. When a simple shove doesn't work, they're taught to use pressure points, punches and kicks if need be.

Sgt. Martinez says inmates are NOT going to fight fair . . . in his words, this is not a wrestling match with rules . . . if an inmate attacks it is to do serious damage to the deputy . . . as a result, the deputy needs to be able to fight back in kind . . .

He adds that deputies are NOT out to cause trouble because of the liability (both to the jail and the individual deputy). He says they don't WANT to use force and only do so when it is absolutely necessary.

An interesting side note, while the complainants and Sheriff's department are world's apart on many issues . . . one place they agree on is adding more cameras for surveillance (reps say the only thing holding back MORE cameras is budget problems).

Martinez says over use of force can happen . . . however, considering that about 200 inmate-on-staff attacks occur every year, the rate of excessive force is INCREDIBLY low . . . he urges everyone to consider the specifics and circumstances of each case before passing judgement.