By CN Staff NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Nashville-Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall announced in late May the sheriff’s office is receiving an education grant from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development valued at $800,000. The grant will span over four years and fund three positions, including instructors and a student liaison. Additionally, it will provide laptops and other equipment necessary for improved virtual courses and, ultimately, educational success for justice-involved individuals. “We have spent years building a foundation of helping inmates be better upon release than w ..read more

Dave Timmerman, a 38-year veteran of the automatic door industry, is the new president of the American Association of Automatic Door Manufacturers (AAADM). He was previously serving as vice president of the association and has held various offices within it since 2019. His extensive industry experience began in 1985, working in the field as a service technician and installer for Wild Automatic Door in Northern California. In 1991, Wild Automatic Door was purchased by Besam Entrance Solutions, becoming the second branch for the company. Timmerman would go on to hold the position of service mana ..read more

By Stephen Carter Jennifer Senior, who won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing, recently published an article entitled The Puzzling Gap Between How Old You Are and How Old You Think You Are. In the article, she cited recent Danish research that suggests that most of us think of ourselves about 20 percent younger that our actual age. Let that sink in for a minute. She did not say “how we feel” but how we think of ourselves. How we feel sometimes is at least 20 percent in the other direction. She goes on to use a term of psychology – proprioception – which essentially means an awareness ..read more

CR SAFGUARD® sails through the new ASTM E1870 fire test procedure for correctional mattresses. Recent fire testing results now confirm additional compliance to the rigorous mattress assembly Crib 7 Ignition Source Test within the ASTM F1870 guide for Fire Test Methods for the Assessment of Upholstered Furnishings in Detention and Correctional Facilities. Results confirm that Neoprene compound foam cushioning does not support combustion, smoldering beyond a specific time, or exhibit melting or flaming droplets. The compliance with this new test in combination with the stringent “Roll Test” for ..read more

Mecalac North America, the distributor for Mecalac compact construction equipment in the United States and Canada, has hired Diana Lacaire as controller. Lacaire brings more than 30 years of accounting experience to her new role as controller, offering valuable insight into streamlining internal processes and analyzing business data. This data and insight will help to guide business decisions as Mecalac approaches its 50th anniversary as a company and six years in North America. In her previous role, Lacaire successfully oversaw the integration of three companies into one unit, streamlining an ..read more

By CN Staff SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) today, in line with the Legislature’s intent to expand in-person visitation, announced institutions statewide will move to three days of in-person weekend visiting on July 7, 2023. “The expansion of three in-person visiting days a week, while offering free transportation statewide, will allow us to meet demand at our busier institutions and provide more opportunities for people to see their loved ones — enhancing public safety by promoting successful community reintegration,” CDCR Secretary Jeff Macomber ..read more

BRENTWOOD, Tenn.—CoreCivic’s Doug Fender has received the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents (NAAWS) 2023 Warden of the Year at the NAAWS Annual Conference – Warden of the Year Banquet, held recently in Columbus, Ohio. The NAAWS Warden of the Year award recognizes a warden who has gone the extra mile to solve problems in their organization, involve themselves in community and local organizations, and mentored in the development of others. Annette Chambers‐Smith, Director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC), nominated Warden Fender, and it is th ..read more

Russelectric, A Siemens Business, a leading manufacturer of power control systems and automatic transfer switches, highlights its range of Russelectric® automatic transfer switches with bypass/isolation, which allows the transfer switch portion to be isolated and de-energized for maintenance, testing, or repair. The Russelectric RTS-30 Series and Russelectric RTS-03 Series transfer switches provide all the functions of a Russelectric automatic transfer switch plus the ability to bypass power from a live source to load in the event the transfer switch is disabled. Russelectric RTS-30 Series aut ..read more

By CN Staff SALT LAKE CITY—Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has appointed Brian Redd as the new executive director of the Utah Department of Corrections. This appointment is subject to the approval of the Utah Senate. “Brian brings a wealth of experience in management, logistics, security and law enforcement,” Gov. Cox said. “We’re excited he’s willing to re-enter public service and look forward to his vision and leadership of the Utah Department of Corrections.” For the past two years, Redd has been vice president and manager in the Compliance Division of Goldman Sachs, overseeing the PWM U.S. Surveilla ..read more

By CN Staff MAPLE GROVE, Minn.—Correctional News touched base recently with Daniel Quam, Director of JailOps at GUARDIAN RFID, to gain his insights on the most important trends and resources in security electronics today. Quam also shared some thoughts on key do’s and don’ts, as well as some compelling company news and some brief prognostications on the industry’s future. CN: What makes Security Electronics so crucial to correctional facilities today, and how do you think the field has changed over the past decade or so? Quam: Today, correctional facilities across the nation are struggling wit ..read more