Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections
Review of the NIC Technical Assistance Report Regarding the Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
The Chronicle and Critical Incident Review by Consultants Jeffrey A. Schwartz and David Webb found that the Department acted heroically and professionally in response to the greatest natural disaster to hit the United States. The Consultants captured not only the spirit of dedication and determination of Louisiana’s DPS&C but also gave insight into the awe inspiring support and donations provided by our peers across the nation. Obviously, there have been many lessons learned. The following bullet points indicate what is being done to better prepare for future events. We thank the Consultants and the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) for providing an opportunity to record the actions taken by the Department, which we hope will be a useful tool not only for those in this state, but throughout the Corrections family.
Current emergency contacts for all employees are being obtained and recorded into appropriate databases. The Department is also encouraging employees to preplan the evacuation of their families and to report this information to their supervisors.
The Commander of the Incident Management Center (IMC) has rewritten the Department’s emergency plans to reflect the lessons learned as a result of this catastrophic event. These plans include a comprehensive emergency system and an emergency organizational chart that specifies the emergency command structure. We will incorporate with the National Incident Management System (NIMS). More staff support has been assigned to the IMC in order to document effectively, as well as to follow through on requests for assistance from the field.
Staff training on updated plans, including emergency preparedness is on-going. Since most staff were involved in the response to the crisis there seems to be a new appreciation for the importance of knowing and following policies and procedures. Staff turnover due to many reasons has continued to remain high and represents a serious obstacle for us.
The DPS&C is part of a task force on accomplishing State Wide Interoperability. We are also active in the Southeast Louisiana Criminal Justice Recovery Task Force that reviews matters such as communications and the availability of funding to achieve success in this critical area. We are investigating the possibility of obtaining HAM radios and are requesting information from the field to identify those employees who are presently HAM radio operators. We are also investigating the possibility of obtaining satellite internet capabilities.
The establishment of the Office of Storm Recovery has led to forming a better working relationship with FEMA.
Our key level command staff were on-site during this emergency as top level decision making ability was needed to direct the life saving operations at hand during this unique event. The presence of top officials boosted and maintained the morale of the troops.
The availability of staffers licensed to drive buses is critical to the evacuation process. Collection of the names of those employees is on-going. Also, we have asked for support from local parish law enforcement agencies.
The State Department of Agriculture and Forestry is entrusted to supply fuel for the needs of the Emergency Support Functions (ESF) of all other State agencies. Back up plans to ensure that generators are available for fuel pumps are in place at institutions.
Buses and DPS&C vehicles will be labeled for easy identification to ensure the safe and secure transport of inmates in contraflow type environments.
The Director of Communications is training an assistant public information officer to relieve her during a long event. Daily briefings to the field will be provided by these individuals.
Corrections Services has been assigned the task of Mass Feeding as part of the State’s ESF 6 – Mass Care. Food and water from nearby correctional institutions will be available to first responder staff.
The overflow of evacuated female offenders will be housed at Unit III at Dixon Correctional Institute instead of CampF at Louisiana State Penitentiary. Dixon is better situated to provide females with specialty services. Moreover, beds at the maximum-security facility at Louisiana State Penitentiary can be saved for higher risk male evacuees.
The Division of Probation and Parole (P&P) has established a 1-800 number for staff to report their whereabouts. P&P has designated a local district office for use by their staff who respond from other areas of the state. P&P has also established an IncidentManagementCenter based on NIMS. Staff is being trained in the use of weapons not typically used in their regular duties, i.e. shotguns. P&P staff policy states that they carry an emergency kit in their car with food and water. P&P staff will continue to relocate their own caseloads in lieu of the suggestion to form a specialized team for this purpose as this suggestion is impractical with the number of staff currently present in the Division. However, pre-evacuation plans and hotlines in effect post storms will make it easier for those under supervision to communicate their whereabouts to their officers.
The Office of Storm Recovery has written and distributed a policy regarding the sheltering of released inmates. The policy verifies that all offenders (except sex offenders) will be allowed in State Run Shelters. Sex offenders will be housed in areas approved for sex offenders which may be in separate facilities or in restricted areas of the same facilities used to shelter the general public. Those releasing offenders with special needs will be placed in Special Needs Shelters.
The Office of Storm Recovery has named a Mass Feeding Coordinator and support staff to accomplish this emergency support function. Staff assigned this responsibility have received training from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and continue to attend meetings throughout the state hosted by various agencies such as the Louisiana Shelter Task Force and the Department of Social Services.
GOHSEP has refined and retrained their computer database and help request (ETEAM and EMAC) systems. DPS&C staff have attended this training as well as participated in emergency exercises.
The Department’s website ( through the Director of Communications and the Information Services Section, will be updated to include a mechanism by which employees may provide and receive emergency information as well as to report their whereabouts.