Suspension urged for guards

Jennifer Knight

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2003 | 10:11 a.m.

Two Clark County Detention Center guards who threw firecrackers into the jail cells of inmates were recommended for suspension without pay by a citizen review board.

The decision is the first time the Metro Police Department Citizen Review Board has recommended suspension.

The action comes after corrections officers Alan Hirjak and Christopher Brinkley tossed lighted firecrackers

Gary Peck, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said the punishment was not harsh enough.

"It suggests that those officers will be held to a lower standard of behavior than the inmates that they guard," Peck said. "And while I respect and appreciate the work that the Citizen Review Board does, in this case they got it wrong. If this is not a firing offense, then what is?"

The ACLU may represent the inmates in civil action against detention center to redress their grievances, Peck said.

Even though bringing firecrackers into the jail is considered contraband and illegal, the case will not likely be prosecuted. District Attorney David Roger said even though he is familiar with the case, his office has never seen any criminal complaint filed against the guards.

"No case was ever submitted to our office for prosecution," Roger said. "It's very very rare that we get involved in initial investigations. We rely on law enforcement agencies to submit cases to us, so Metro would have to submit cases to us for review." Sheriff Bill Young and other Metro officials could not be reached for comment.

Andrea Beckman, executive director for the Citizen Review Board, said Wednesday the board made the decision it felt fit the crime.

"It was a decision that the board felt was appropriate," Beckman said. "I'm not going to criticize whether their decision was right or not. I'm not going to judge that."