JOCKO,
I know this posting is old but came across it while searching for info relating to these LEV-R-LOK knives.
It would be great to see an image of the article you mentioned here..
Jeremy
LOCAL JAIL EMPLOYEES USE CREATIVITY TO DREAM UP ...
Author(s): Sue Weibezahl Staff writer
Date: September 21, 2002
Section: Local
They say necessity breeds invention.
Apparently getting spit upon and wrestling with suicidal inmates was all the "need" two deputies and a facilities manager at the Onondaga County Justice Center
jail needed.
With some old equipment and flair for invention, the
jail employees have designed and successfully had manufactured two separate innovations - a specialized knife to cut down hanging inmates and a "spit guard" which blocks the path of flying spit, feces or urine launched at deputies by an inmate.
The innovations, which are gaining the interest of officials in jails across Central New York and the rest of the country, have already made an impact locally by saving the lives of a handful inmates and the tempers of numerous deputies, officials said.
"They (the staff) have done some great things that border on brilliance," Sheriff Kevin Walsh said. "Just by thinking things through, they've come up with simple solutions to problems that are faced in jails across the country."
A new knife
It was likely Lt. Walter Rys' years as a big-game hunter that led to the development of a new knife that's safer and more effective than what was on the market. The
jail has about three dozen suicide attempts a year, said Sgt. John D'Eredita of the
sheriff's department. Prior to the invention of the new knives, deputies were often stymied when they discovered inmates hanging from sheets or towels wrapped around their necks. The fabric often became so twisted and dense it was nearly impossible to cut.
Traditional knives presented two problems: Deputies might accidentally cut the inmate trying to free them, or the knives could be used against the staff, officers said.
"We were kicking around whether or not we wanted to introduce knives into the facility," said Capt. Larry Albanese, who heads the security division at the
jail on South State Street in Syracuse.
Rys and Sgt. Norm Kruth, both hunters, started brainstorming.
Rys, who's hunted deer, elk, bear and caribou, used his own knives to fashion a new design: a knife with no point, but a sharp serrated edge and a hook on the end, similar to hooks the Air Force uses to cut tangled parachute cords.
The knife they created also is equipped with a lever that allows deputies to flick out the blade with one hand, leaving the other arm free to hold up the hanging inmates to relieve pressure.
The next stop was
Camillus Cutlery, where workers were able to manufacture specialized knives based on their models that are selling for about $35 apiece.
While his colleagues refer to him as "Thomas Edison," Rys downplays his contribution.
"I'm no inventor. We're just modifying things to make them work for us," said Rys, 55, who has worked for the
sheriff's department for 25 years.Kruth, 57, has been there 27 years.The knives are now in the pockets of more than 100 deputies at the
jail, Albanese said.
"I'm amazed at the things people can come up with when they put their heads together," he said. "In the past two years, we've probably saved half a dozen inmates because of them."Its first success came just two months after it was introduced at the
jail.An inmate had crawled to the top of the fencing on the fifth floor of the
jail, tied a sheet around the top of the fencing and then around his neck, and jumped, Albanese said. "The sergeant scaled the fence, but couldn't get the pressure off the guy's neck because he was dangling, so he used the knife to cut the chain-link fence," Albanese said. "That's how sturdy these knives are. It saved this guy's life. It's amazing."
"This is a wonderful case of people coming up with solutions in situations that could be life-threatening or have serious health concerns," said Chief Anthony Callisto, who's in charge of the
sheriff's department
jail division.
The knives work so well, representatives of the
jail took a few to the New York State
Sheriff's Association meeting last year and other departments have since ordered dozens for themselves, he said. They haven't patented the knives and are pleased to share the information.
"We don't need to make a profit," Albanese said. "We're just glad we can help other people with what we're doing here."
Spit protectionSpitting inmates have been a frustrating problem at jails for years, and little else draws the ire of
jail employees more.
"It's not just the spit - they'll throw feces, urine, toilet water, you name it, because that's really the only way they can rile the deputies," said Albanese.
Until recently, the shields that covered cell doors were easy to pop out with pencils or rolled up magazines, giving inmates the opportunity to spit or throw material on deputies who stooped to pick them up.
"It was a disgusting thing and it takes a very big person to let that go by without getting angry," Williams said.
Enter Bruce Ralston, director of facility management at the building.
Ralston, who started at the
jail three years ago, tested different materials for strength, flexibility and other qualities and settled on Lexan, a material like Plexiglas but sturdier.
He made the new shields larger, bent them so they arced away from the door and prevented inmates from being able to reach them. He put magnets on all sides of the shields to keep them attached to the metal doors.
They put the prototypes on the cells of inmates who had histories of behavior problems and they worked, Callisto said.
"They tried poking at them, they tried spitting, they tried throwing stuff and it didn't work," he said. A dozen new shields are now in place, but they can be moved to different pods if necessary.
"They could still spit but it would just hit the shield, not the deputies," Albanese said.
The inventions have helped reduce the risk to inmates and staff, he said, and have been done at a relatively small cost.
"You can't ask for much more than that - I'm just anxious to see what they come up with next," he said.
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