Winnebago

County

Sheriff’s Department

Sheriff Gary Caruana

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 9, 2020



The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office understands there are accusations involving the mistreatment of some of the
inmates incarcerated within our Jail on June 2, 2020.

As a department, we strive to protect the health and safety of the inmates and staff inside the facility. We also strive to
ensure that all our inmates’ rights are preserved. On June 2, 2020, there was an incident involving three disruptive
detainees. Our corrections officers deployed Oleoresin Capsicum spray, which is commonly referred to as “pepper”
spray. The allegation that tear gas was deployed inside the facility, and that a detainee’s arm was broken are simply not
true. Tear gas is not a tool utilized for de-escalation within the Winnebago County Jail.

Each and every use of force by any member of the Sheriff’s Office is reviewed on multiple levels and the Sheriff’s Office
utilizes an early warning system to identify potential issues.

In an effort to improve the transparency and the accountability of all members of the Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Gary
Caruana initiated the process of purchasing body worn cameras for both Corrections Officers and Law Enforcement
Deputies in mid-2019. Through a cooperative process with the Winnebago County Board, those body worn cameras
were purchased. As a result of those 2019 negotiations, all uniform Corrections Officers and all uniform Law
Enforcement Deputies will wear body worn cameras while working.

Corrections Officers perform a difficult but necessary job under stressful conditions and at times are forced to use their
training to de-escalate situations. We review all incidents to ensure these situations are handled appropriately. There
were no injuries to either inmates or to staff on June 2, 2020.

We stand by our officers and maintain that these allegations of mistreatment are absolutely false.