Missouri authorities have made public surveillance footage and a 100-page investigative report detailing a February disturbance at a local jail, where 34 inmates temporarily seized control of a housing unit and damaged facility property after complaints over phone service and Wi-Fi access.
The February 7 incident, recorded by security cameras, unfolded at the St. Louis County Justice Center after inmates voiced frustration about access to telephones, internet connectivity and the amount of time they were allowed outside their cells, then refused orders to return, FOX 2 Now reported.
According to the report, the situation initially began as a nonviolent, coordinated refusal by inmates to go back into their cells, but later escalated into more disruptive physical behavior. Officials said the underlying cause was a serious shortage of corrections staff.
“This incident shows how unpredictable conditions are inside a jail and how important the role corrections officers play,” said Captain Tim Ware, acting director of the St. Louis County Department of Justice Services. “The discontent of residents that resulted in this incident is all due to our understaffing in corrections officers which required limitations on the residents’ movements.”
Security video from inside the St. Louis County jail in Missouri showed inmates creating a disturbance after growing upset over phone availability, Wi-Fi problems and limited time outside their cells, officials said. (St. Louis County)
While corrections officers attempted to calm the situation, inmates moved furniture from the common area and used it to block the entrance to the housing unit.
“They tried to de-escalate with the residents and that was not working; the residents moved some furniture and barricaded the door,” Ware said.
A St. Louis County inmate is shown shifting common area furniture as the disturbance unfolds inside the facility. (St. Louis County)
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At one point, an inmate used a basketball to knock down a mounted security camera. The inmates also broke televisions, a commissary kiosk, and parts of the ceiling, Spectrum News reported.
Total damages climbed past $30,800, according to St. Louis County records.
Authorities eventually deployed chemical agents to safely secure the area. Out of the 34 inmates involved, criminal charges for four “main actors” have been turned over to the Clayton Police Department and the county prosecutor for review, Ware noted.
In response to the incident, county leaders approved $3 million in emergency funding for medical services to better support the nearly 1,200 inmates housed in the facility.
An angry inmate tosses what appears to be a basketball at a security camera inside the jail. (St. Louis County)
In addition, officials are actively looking to fill approximately 80 correctional officer vacancies.
To prevent future disturbances, the jail is shifting its operational approach. “We have started extra training… tabletop exercises and physical exercises… so the officers will be prepared to make decisions when something similar happens,” Ware said.
