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From the President...by Mike Jimenez, California Correctional Peace Officers AssociationTHE SILENT KILLER  Calipatria State Prison Correctional Officer Alma Zavala never saw her killer coming.Like all correctional peace officers working the toughest beat in California, Officer Zavala knew that at any minute she could be brutally and fatally assaulted by an inmate. And, as a 12-year veteran of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Officer Zavala was aware that both Correctional Officer Manuel Gonzalez and Youth Correctional Counselor Ineasie Baker had been murdered by inmates. But unlike those brutal and violent assaults, Officer Zavala's killer was more insidious. Her killer was inside her own body - a staph bacteria most likely contracted while she worked as a dorm officer at the Level I facility at Calipatria. On March 15, 2008, at the young age of 45, Correctional Officer Alma Zavala died from pneumonic complications associated with clinically-diagnosed Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus-more commonly referred to as MRSA. Officer Zavala's death is the first documented death of a correctional officer due to clinically-diagnosed MRSA. It is not, however, the first time that a correctional officer has been infected by the disease. Outbreaks of MRSA at many correctional facilities have been reported for some time. Based on increased reports of MRSA occurrences among our members, CCPOA filed complaints in early 2007 with Cal/OSHA (the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health) alleging unsafe working conditions. The complaints focused on MRSA outbreaks at Folsom State Prison, although CCPOA also requested a statewide remedy against CDCR to deal with the everincreasing number of MRSA infections at prisons statewide. In October 2007 Cal/OSHA issued four citations and a special order for violations at Folsom relating to MRSA. The proposed penalties against CDCR for MRSA-related violations totaled nearly $21,000 in fines. Of course, CDCR is appealing both the citations and the special order. And while CDCR continues with its head-in-the-sand approach to providing safeguards against the spread of MRSA, CCPOA continues to receive weekly, if not daily, reports of additional outbreaks. Since filing our initial complaint at least 11 other employees at Folsom Prison have contracted MRSA. CCPOA was also recently made aware of further fines against CDCR for MRSA violations at the Central California Women's Facility. Without question, the spread of MRSA is a serious concern. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 94,000 serious infections and nearly 19,000 deaths from MRSA each year. MRSA continues to plague the entire prison system statewide. And, true to form, CDCR is doing little if nothing to protect the health of our members. When Cal/OSHA issued its special citation against Folsom Prison, Cal/OSHA requested that CCPOA hold off on filing additional complaints relating to MRSA. It appears Cal/OSHA wanted to see if CDCR would correct itself in light of the serious fines levied against Folsom Prison. Based on the CDCR appeal of the citations, it does not appear that correction is likely to occur in the immediate future. Very simply, CCPOA cannot and will not stand by while our members face serious bodily injury. Therefore, we have filed a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court to enforce the remedial actions ordered by Cal/OSHA - and will not wait for the appeal process to delay needed protections. The silent killers we face are just as deadly as a convicted felon who is determined to murder a correctional peace officer. To disregard the warning signs of serious bodily harm-either by direct physical threat or by ignoring the growing evidence of a blood borne killer - is equally irresponsible. Unfortunately, that blatant disregard for the safety of correctional peace officers is exactly what we have come to expect from the administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Until next month, have a safe shift.  Print This PageBack to Volume 25, Issue 3 Back to PEACEKeeper Main Page |
