By Jeff Kolkey
Rockford Register Star
ROCKFORD — Winnebago County Corrections officers placed the jail on a 15-hour lockdown Sunday to conduct what is believed to be the first-ever search of the entire facility for contraband, weapons and drugs.
Under the direction of a new administration, Sheriff Gary Caruana said the search was part of an ongoing assessment effort to determine what is working and what can be improved at the Winnebago County Jail and with other functions of the sheriff’s office.
“At least we know we are starting out with a clean slate,” Caruana said.
A make-shift weapon and illegal prescription drugs were confiscated during the search. There were no arrests or charges filed in connection with the items that were found.
It was the first in what Caruana says will be a series of unannounced, periodic searches to “ensure the safety of the corrections officers and the inmates.”
The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Corrections Emergency Response Team was assisted by K-9 units from Winnebago County, Rockford and Loves Park during the exhaustive search. New safeguards that include expanded training to detect and prevent illegal contraband from entering the jail are being implemented, Caruana said.
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