Chicago's Cook County Jail is on lockdown Tuesday after 18 percent of workers on the facility's day shift failed to show up to work, the Cook County Sheriff's Office said on its website. The 142 correctional officers said they couldn't come to the 7 a.m.-to-3 p.m. shift for various reasons, including illness, family issues and even poor weather conditions, according to Cara Smith, a spokeswoman for the Cook County sheriff's office.
Smith said jail officials generally aim to avoid lockdowns at all costs, but said they are not uncommon due to understaffed shifts.
"They have lives and kids like the rest of us do. Our staff have very difficult jobs working at the jail. It's a delicate balance," she said, according to the Chicago Tribune.
A typical Tuesday morning shift sees about 83 of 794 workers taking the day off, but the 59 additional workers taking the day off left the jail below normal staffing levels that allow them to operate the facility at full operations, thus forcing them to issue a lockdown.
This marks the second time in a year the jail has been placed on lockdown due to staffing issues, reported CBS Chicago. The last time a lockdown was issued was on Feb. 2, 2015, when a blizzard dumped 19 inches of snow on the city on Super Bowl Sunday, prompting one-third of the jail staff to report absent.
In the meantime, inmates will be allowed to appear at court hearings, see visitors and be "allowed movement for medical reasons," however nonessential movement such as recreation has been halted for officer safety.
The lockdown is expected to remain in place throughout the entire day even if other shifts are full staffed.
