>> EXPOSES WRONGDOING. HOLD THE POWERFUL ACCOUNTABLE. 8. I TEAM.
>> NOW A STORY YOU’LL SEE ONLY
ON CHANNEL 4. THE NEWS, 4 JAX.
GRANTED UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS
TO THE FEDERAL WEIGHING OF THE
BAKER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER
WHICH HOUSES MORE THAN 100
IMMIGRANT DETAINEES.
>> FOLLOWING OUR STORIES ON A
FEDERAL COMPLAINT FILED BY 16
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ALLEGING
HELLISH AND IN HUMANE
CONDITIONS. BAKER COUNTY
SHERIFF SCOTTY RHODEN IS
RESPONDING SAYING HE WANTS TO
SHOW THE PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST
TIME. WHAT IT IS LIKE IN THAT
LOCK UP. I TEAM INVESTIGATOR
TARRED MINERS HERE NOW TO TAKE
US INSIDE THE FEDERAL WAY OF
THE DETENTION CENTER. TAREK.
THE BAKER COUNTY SHERIFF IS
ESSENTIALLY REFUTING ALL OF
THE CLAIMS FILED BY 16
DIFFERENT HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS
SAYING THE ALLEGATIONS OF
>> MEDICAL NEGLECT, A LACK OF
WATER AND PHYSICAL BEATINGS
ARE UNSUBSTANTIATED AND HE
SAYS SIMPLY NOT TRUE. INHUMANE
CONDITIONS, HELLISH CONDITIONS
OF THE ALLEGATIONS. WHAT ARE
YOUR THOUGHTS?
>> THOSE ARE JUST LIES.
BECAUSE WE TAKE IT SERIOUSLY
HERE AT THE BAY COUNTY
SHERIFF’S OFFICE.
>> FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER,
BAKER COUNTY SHERIFF SCOTTY
RHODEN ALLOWS NEWS CAMERAS
BEHIND THE LOCKED DOORS OF THE
FEDERAL WING OF THE BAKER
COUNTY DETENTION CENTER WHERE
130 IMMIGRANT DETAINEES WERE
BEING HOUSED BY ICE AT THE
TIME OF THE I TEAM’S EXCLUSIVE
DOOR. IT’S HERE IN THESE
COMMON AREAS AND HOLDING CELLS
WHERE ACCORDING TO A FEDERAL
COMPLAINT, MULTIPLE DETAINEES
REPORT THAT OFFICERS TAKE
PEOPLE INTO A CELL THAT DOES
NOT HAVE CAMERAS TO BEAT HIM,
PEPPER SPRAY THEM AS A POINT
OF REFERENCE SHERIFF ROAD AND
TOLD US ABOUT AN INCIDENT IN
OCTOBER OF 2021. WHERE HE SAYS
USE OF FORCE WAS NECESSARY IN
ORDER TO DETAIN A MAN WHO
BECAME VIOLENT HERE IN THE
DETENTION CENTER’S MEDICAL
WING WHERE SURVEILLANCE
CAMERAS ARE PRESENT. HE SAYS
CORRECTIONS OFFICERS WERE
FORCED TO MAINTAIN THAT LEVEL
OF PHYSICAL CONTACT WHILE
TRANSPORTING THE DETAINEE BACK
TO A HOLDING CELL WHERE
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS ARE NOT
PERMITTED BY LAW.
>> SO IN THIS PARTICULAR
INCIDENT, IT’S OCCURRED
STARTED IN OUR MEDICAL STAFF.
WHICH HE WAS HANDCUFFED, USE
OF FORCE WAS DONE, HANDCUFFED
HIM AND ESCORTED HIM TO OUR
CONFINEMENT AREA, WHICH IS
CONFINEMENT. YOU’RE IN A CELL
BY YOURSELF.
>> USE OF FORCE HAD TO BE
DONE. THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS
LAWYERS ALSO ALLEGED THIS
FEDERAL COMPLAINT, NUMEROUS
COMPLAINTS HAVE SURFACED ABOUT
THE CONDITIONS AT BAKER OVER
MANY YEARS. AND THIS SPRING,
THESE COMPLAINTS BEGIN TO RISE
IN BOTH VOLUME AND GRAVITY.
THE COMPLAINT STATES ISSUES
ESCALATED FOLLOWING A HUNGER
STRIKE OF A REPORTED 100
DETAINEES LAST MAY WHO ALLEGE
THEY WERE DENIED WATER AND
WERE UNABLE TO FLUSH THEIR
TOILETS. THE SHERIFF SAYS NO
MASS HUNGER STRIKE EVER REALLY
OCCURRED. WE HAVE NOT HAD 100
PEOPLE GO INTO A ISSUE. HUNGER
STRIKE.
>> THEY MADE IT CLEAR AND SAY
I’M GOING ON A HUNGER STRIKE.
BUT ONCE THEY ACCEPT THEIR
TRAY AND THEY SET THEIR MEAL
AND THEY EAT THEIR INTAKE.
THAT’S NOT A HUNGER STRIKE.
RODEN SAYS INMATES MUST REFUSE
AT LEAST 9 MEALS BEFORE ICE
QUALIFIES. THE DETAINEES
REFUSAL TO EAT AS AN OFFICIAL
HUNGER STRIKE, WHICH IN TURN
TRIGGERS FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS
PUT IN PLACE TO MONITOR A
DETAINEE AS WATER AND FOOD
INTAKE RODEN SAYS DURING A
CLINICAL HUNGER STRIKE, THE
FACILITY DOES INDEED SHUT OFF
THE DETAINEES, WATER IN THEIR
CELLS. SO MEDICAL STAFF CAN
MAKE AN ACCURATE DETERMINATION
IF THE DETAINEE IS ACTUALLY
NOT EATING OR DRINKING ANOTHER
STARTLING ALLEGATION MADE BY
HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS IS WHEN
WOMEN HAVE ASKED FOR MORE
SANITARY NAPKINS. OFFICERS
HAVE TOLD THEM TO USE THEIR
BAKER ISSUED SOCKS OR
CLOTHING, WHICH ARE OFTEN
DIRTY WHEN THEY RECEIVE THEM.
WE HAVE NEVER HAD THAT
ALLEGATION. COME TO US THAT
I’VE EVER HEARD OF ROAD AND
SAYS WHEN HE FIRST TOOK OFFICE
IN 2016 FEMALE DETAINEES WERE
GIVEN UNLIMITED ACCESS TO
FEMININE PRODUCTS, BUT HE
CLAIMS DETAINEES WERE MISUSING
THEM TO MAKE THEIR PILLOW
SOFTER OR TO PAD THE FLOORS OF
THEIR CELLS. JAIL STAFF SHOWED
US HOW DETAINEES MISUSED
TOILETRY PRODUCTS TO DIM THE
LIGHTS INSIDE THIS HOLDING
CELL. WE’RE TOLD THE TOILET
PAPER WRAPPER YOU SEE HERE IT
STUCK TO THE OVERHEAD LIGHTS
WITH JAIL ISSUED TO PACE AND
WE DO STILL SEARCHES. WE WOULD
FIND THIS MULTITUDE OF.
FEMININE PRODUCTS. RODEN SAYS
THE RESPONSES AGENCY INSTALLED
THESE DIGITAL VENDING MACHINES
WHICH TRACK HOW MANY FEMININE
NAPKINS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED
USING THE DETAINEES, PERSONAL
ACCESS CODE AND PIN NUMBER
WROTE, IT SAYS EVEN THOUGH I
SAYS REMAIN MOSTLY SILENT
ABOUT ALLEGATIONS OF ABHORRENT
CONDITIONS HE’S PREPARED TO
DEFEND HIS DETENTION FACILITY
AND THE PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE.
>> WHAT I’M NOT GOING TO DO IS
ALLOW PEOPLE TO COME IN HERE
AND LIE ABOUT OUR FACILITY,
THE JOB THAT OUR PEOPLE DO
HERE BECAUSE WE TAKE PRIDE IN
OUR JOB. I’M NOT WANT TO STAND
BY REMAIN SILENT AND NOT
VIGOROUSLY DEFEND WHAT WE DO
HERE AT THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE
BECAUSE OUR PEOPLE DO A GREAT
JOB HERE AND THEY DO IT ON A
DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. AND I WANT
TO STAND BEHIND WHAT WE DO.
WHAT WE DO IS RIGHT.
>> SO THERE WERE 2 FEDERAL ICE
EMPLOYEES ON SITE WHILE WE
WERE THERE. THE FACILITIES
ALSO INSPECTED SEVERAL TIMES A
YEAR BY U.S. IMMIGRATION AND
CUSTOMS. BUT ACCORDING TO ONE
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP, BAKER
COUNTY STAFF, THEY ALLEGE
HANDPICKED DETAINEES TO BE
INTERVIEWED BY INSPECTORS TO
LIMIT THE NUMBER OF CIVIL
RIGHTS COMPLAINTS. WELL,
COMING UP TOMORROW NIGHT AT 6
O’CLOCK HERE WITH THE SHERIFF
ROAD AND SAYS ABOUT THAT HAND,
PICKING ALLEGATION. ALSO,
WE’LL TELL YOU WHAT’S IN THE
NEXT YEAR’S BUDGET TO MAKE
SURE EVERY INTERACTION BETWEEN
CORRECTIONS OFFICERS IN
DETAINEE SAYS VIDEO TAPED
BEHIND BARS IN THE FUTURE.
ALSO TOMORROW AS A RESULT OF
OUR REPORTS, THE AMERICAN
CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION IS ALSO
WEIGHING IN WHAT HIS ATTORNEYS
ARE SAYING ABOUT THE SHERIFF’S
RESPONSE IN ITS CALL FOR THE
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY TO CANCEL BAKER
COUNTY’S CONTRACT WITH THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND SHUT
DOWN THE FACILITY. THAT’S ALL
COMING UP IN MY EXCLUSIVE
INVESTIGATION, WHICH CONTINUES