The Hudson County Correctional Facility locked down this afternoon and pepper spray was deployed during a “riot” inside their maximum security unit.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“We had a minor altercation with the maximum security unit and for safety and security purposes, I had locked down the building,” Jail Director Ron Edwards told HCV over the phone, indicating the lock down lasted from about 1 p.m. until 2:55 p.m.
Edwards indicated that the entire wing of the maximum security unit which contains 51 inmates refused to cooperate during a lock in, ultimately causing pepper spray to be deployed to quell the situation.
“We have an extremely skilled rapid deployment team and highly trained correctional police officers and we went up there and used a minimum amount of constructive authority and we made sure all the inmates were taken care of. We’re doing a disciplinary review now,” added Edwards, who continued that no correctional staff or inmates were injured.
Furthermore, “an extensive search” of the unit found shanks that were confiscated.
“The actions of the team absolutely saved people form being injured or stabbed,” the director concluded.
While Edwards did not call the incident a riot, three sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, all emphatically characterized it as such.
