NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — With Southeast Louisiana currently set in the crosshairs of Hurricane Ida, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office relocated approximately 835 inmates the past two days.
Starting on Friday, Sheriff Marlin N. Gusman began overseeing the transfer of prisoners to various locations operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. The relocation concluded on Saturday with inmates being dispersed between the Orleans Justice Center, Temporary Detention Center and Temporary Mental Health Center.
“Our objective was to complete the transfer in the best interest of inmate safety and the public, prior to increased traffic on our highways, including the potential implementation of the State’s contraflow plan,” said the OPSO media release received by WGNO. “Our electronic wristband system is in use as an extra level of security to ensure that we know the exact status and location of each inmate at all times.
Twenty-two known inmates with COVID-19 were transported separately and will remain segregated from the general population.