POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A video recorded by an inmate from inside the Polk County Jail is under investigation.
In the video, you can see booking clerks, who the inmates claim are slacking off on the job.
The video was recorded early Saturday morning inside a holding cell at the Polk County Jail.
Inmates were waiting in the cell to be released.
“We been in here since 2 o’clock yesterday. This b**** sleep. Look this b**** sleep…she ain’t doing nothing,” an inmate is heard saying in the video.
Then, the camera turns to another clerk.
“She looking at purses, but we supposed to be getting out. She supposed to do our paperwork,” the inmate says.
Rodney Williams was sitting in the cell, he claims waiting for hours, to be released on a misdemeanor charge. He took the video on another inmate’s cell phone.
“Nobody should have to that long, you already been through the process,” Williams said.
A spokesperson with the sheriff’s office confirms, they’re looking into the video.
“If they were shirking any responsibilities that will be handled with discipline. I don’t know if those particular clerks were finished with the paperwork with those inmates or not. It’s possible they were finished with the paperwork and they were on break,” Polk County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Carrie Horstman said.
Bail Bondsman Dwayne Conley watched the video and said it’s a glimpse into a much bigger problem at the jail.
“It’s really frustrating, because it takes so long to get things done. They’re allowed to post a bond as soon as they’re cleared. They have to wait hours as they file their paperwork,” Conley said.Policy breach
“It was more than a cell phone in there. We had people with lighters. It’s just like they don’t do their job,” Williams told 8 On Your Side.
“As far as being a security issue, some people may call it that. There’s definitely a policy in place to keep that from happening, and if that wasn’t followed, or someone made a mistake, then we will deal with that,” Horstman said.