By Billy Davis

Panola County jailers are currently going through a certification process to boost the number of better-trained personnel, Sheriff Otis Griffin said Monday.

Griffin made his comments at the Board of Supervisors meeting in Sardis, where he said four jailers completed certification last week.  

The sheriff’s report dated back to an admission he made in February, when he said only six of 19 jailers were certified and some were getting hurt due to a lack of training.

Nine jailers remain uncertified at the jail, he told county supervisors Monday.

The David M. Bryan Justice Complex houses local and state inmates, as well as federal inmates that began arriving in recent weeks.

Jailers oversee the feeding, transport and housing of inmates, and the booking department.

Jail Administrator Bobby Meek oversees the jail and has done so for approximately six years.

Griffin also disclosed Monday that Commissioner Chris Epps, who oversees the Miss. Department of Corrections, had threatened to remove state inmates due to the number of uncertified Panola County jailers.

“He was very upset,” Griffin said of the MDOC commissioner.

“He’s (now) satisfied that we are striving to get that done,” Griffin said of Epps, who had called Panola County’s sheriff to a meeting in Jackson, according to Griffin.

Commissioner Epps, reached later Monday, confirmed that he had learned some jailers were not certified at the sheriff’s department.

He then contacted Griffin and informed him that state law requires the jailers to be certified, Epps recalled.

The commissioner said he was not “angry” or “upset” at the situation. “I just told your sheriff if you don’t follow the law, I will come get my guys,” Epps said.

“You guys have a big work center in your county,” Epps said. “Our guys save your county a lot of money.”

The sheriff also announced the hiring of Greg Chapman as a jailer to replace jailer Eddie Mathews, who passed away March 23.

“Is Chapman certified?” asked Supervisor Kelly Morris.

“He will be,” Griffin replied.