823.7 All in a Day’s Work – Handling the Crew
Security of Personal Vehicles Parked at MoDOT Facilities.
All personal vehicles parked at MoDOT facilities where Missouri Department of Corrections (MDOC) offender crews are or may be working shall be locked with the keys removed and any weapons or ammunition stored out of sight.
Cancellations
The institution should be given as much notice as possible, if the crew cannot be picked up as scheduled.
Crew Size Change Notice
The institution should be given 24 hours notice, whenever possible, on the change of the crew size to allow the institution to make arrangements.
Drop Off
MoDOT and the institution will mutually agree upon a drop-off time and location. Care should be used to avoid drop-off during a count if this creates a difficulty for the institution. If the pre-arranged drop-off time cannot be met for any reason, the MoDOT employee shall notify the institution and give an estimated time of arrival and reason for the late arrival. Prior to drop off each day, the inmates should be asked to empty pockets and check themselves for any tools, etc. which would be construed as contraband.
This is for the inmates benefit. Any IOCs, mail, or other pertinent information should be turned in at the end of each day. MoDOT-provided equipment or apparel is considered contraband and shall not be carried into the institution. This includes sunglasses, safety glasses or hats.
Inmate Meals
The institution will provide inmate meals. Any complaints are to be handled by the inmates, through the institution’s internal grievance procedure. Lunch will be 30 minutes. Do not share your lunch, or purchase snacks for inmates. The institution shall provide any drink other than water, however MoDOT may provide Gatorade. Food rewards generate problems. Special arrangements regarding feeding of an inmate crew during emergency operations such as sandbagging during a flood, can be made if the crew is to return to the institution after their normal mealtime has passed. If this situation occurs, all inmates should get the same meal.
Items Found Along Roadway
Inmates shall not be allowed to collect items picked up along the roadside. Properly dispose of all items picked up. Any suspicious items found shall be left in place and the supervisor contacted. If an inmate has picked up the object, have the inmate set it back down. Objects are to be handled as little as possible.
Inmates shall not drink or handle any alcoholic products found on the roadsides. Dispose of alcohol immediately.
Any money found by an inmate shall be turned in to the road fund per MoDOT policy. Money that is found shall not be used to provide "treats" or food items for the crew. In no case shall the inmate be allowed to keep this contraband. No exchange of money will be allowed between inmates or MoDOT employee. The MoDOT employee shall not accept or hold money, valuables, or personal items for inmates.
Pick Up
The institution and MoDOT will mutually agree upon the pick-up point and time. Give as much notice as possible, preferably at least 24 hours, to change pick-up time. The MoDOT employee will be given an outcount order list of inmates for the day, when picking up the inmates. A copy of the inmate ID card will also be given to the MoDOT employee. All inmates shall be dressed in appropriate attire. Appropriate gloves and footwear shall be worn and supplied by the institution or MoDOT.
Inmates shall not mail anything, under any circumstances. The MoDOT employee shall not mail anything for, or receive mail for, an inmate. Any mail given to a MoDOT employee by an inmate to mail, or mail that is received by a MoDOT employee for an inmate, shall be retained and turned in at drop off to the institution. However, if the inmate becomes hostile in an attempt to retrieve the mail, the MoDOT employee is to return the mail. The inmate shall then be reported using an IOCs.
Photographs
All requests from the media to interview or photograph inmates shall be cleared with MDOC before the media is allowed to have contact. Photographs should not allow inmates to be identified. The MoDOT employee must convey this to photographers. It is recommended that written approval be obtained from the institution for MoDOT records.
Port-A-Potty
Each district has the option of renting a port-a-potty for the inmate crew(s). This will be a decision mutually agreed upon by the district and the institution. The inmate supervisor shall ensure the person servicing the port-a-potty does not come in contact with the inmate crew at any time. Keep them separated, as with any other member of the public. The port-a-potty will be serviced once weekly. The inmate supervisor shall check the port-a-potty after it has been serviced. Random and frequent inspections shall be made for contraband in the port-a-potty. Inmates shall not use public restrooms at anytime, or restrooms in MoDOT facilities, if a port-a-potty is provided by the district. The port-a-potty should be locked at night.
Rest Breaks
Inmates will be allowed a 15-minute break every two hours of work. Use judgment concerning break frequency and duration in extreme weather.
Searches
There shall be no searches of inmates by MoDOT employees or by other inmates. If the MoDOT employee feels that an inmate is hiding something, contact the institution for their assistance. Use of Missouri State Highway Patrol dogs for periodic inspections of vans is permitted, and recommended.
Suspicious Vehicles
The MoDOT employee should record the license plate of any vehicle that frequents the work site or is suspicious in some manner. Frequent passes by the same pedestrian should also be regarded as suspicious. These incidents should be documented and reported to your immediate supervisor. If necessary, the supervisor will contact the institution and report the incident and license number of the suspicious vehicle.
Transport Vehicle
The transport vehicle shall be cleaned out daily and thoroughly washed out weekly. Random inspections for contraband shall be made, and documented. Contraband is any non-MoDOT property. No deadly weapons, dangerous instruments, unauthorized drugs or controlled substances are allowed in the inmate's possession or in the inmate vehicle at any time. Smoking will be permitted in the transport vehicle under the same guidelines used by MoDOT personnel. Inmates shall provide their own cigarettes. Lighters are OK, but matches are contraband.
Work Coding
MoDOT employees shall charge his or her time as if working in the crew. The inmate's time is charged to the function for the work performed. The MoDOT inmate supervisor is responsible for reporting inmate coding and reporting equipment coding and mileage hours to assigned area on a daily basis. The activity code for working with incarcerated personnel work release crews is R6F7. Use the appropriate function code for the work being performed.
Work Supplies
The following items will be provided by MoDOT.
- All materials
- Ear plugs
- First Aid kit and supplies
- Insect repellent
- Personal protective equipment
- Port-a-potty and toilet paper
- Rain gear (if required)
- Rubber boots, as required
- Safety glasses
- Safety hats - bright orange (if required)
- Tools and equipment
- Transport vehicle
- Vests (may be different color than supervisors)
- Water cooler and cups
- Work gloves
- MoDOT may provide caps, stocking caps, or coveralls as needed
The following items will be provided by the institution or inmate. Any of these items left in the transport vehicle overnight are considered contraband.
- Approved outerwear
- Coats
- Outcount list
- Sack lunches
- Shots, current immunizations
- Sunscreen (can be provided by MoDOT if small packets are used and included in first-aid kit)
