***WBOC EXCLUSIVE***
Reported by Eve Tannery
DOVER- The Delaware Department of Correction is offering yet another solution to its four-week-long problem of workers' refusal to work overtime.
The DOC lost a court hearing almost two weeks ago when officials tried to force workers to volunteer. And when the DOC had an emergency response team fill in, some of the members quit.
Now the DOC is using staff training relief officers, commonly referred to as STROs, to staff the court and transport unit. This is the unit that has been hit hardest with workers' refusal to work overtime, because there have not been enough employees to get inmates to court.
DOC officials say the staff training relief officers typically provide recertification and refresher courses like first aid and CPR to correctional officers. They say they're skilled to work at any institution and during any shift.
Because the STROs were caught up on their training, officials put them to work transporting inmates.
"We have still not been able to make all of the transports that have been scheduled, but we were able to make more transports [Monday] and [Tuesday] than we were able to make in weeks past," said Beth Welch, a DOC spokeswoman.
Welch said the STROs helped transport 111 of 132 inmates to court on Tuesday. She said the DOC still needed 11 workers to volunteer and fully staff the court and transportation department. But there were no volunteers.
The STROs will help fill in through Friday. They say that is when they will re-evaluate whether or not they are needed next week.
