Louisville's jail adds 14 new officers as it continues to navigate worker shortage

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Louisville Metro Department of Corrections added more than a dozen new officers Friday. The graduation comes as Louisville's jail tries to fill a worker shortage.

"We're there to make sure when they come out, they come out as better people," Joshua Eversole said.

Eversole is one of LMDC's newest correction officers that hope to usher in a better culture.

"You guys are going to be able to change things and really make this community better," LMDC Director Jerry Collins said at the officers' graduation.

While the jail sees recruitment improve, a spokesperson said it still has 90 officer position openings. The jail currently has 270 officer positions filled.

LMDC has also struggled in the past with a scathing report of safety and security and multiple inmate deaths.

"Expectations for you have never been higher," Collins said. 'But your opportunity has never been greater."

These 14 recruits spent months learning their way around the criminal justice system including how to handle an inmate mental health crisis. The goal is for officers to identify mental illness and respond with better communication and de-escalation skills.

"We don't want [inmates] to come back," Mayor Craig Greenberg said. "That's why I'm so glad we also have a recruit in this class who will be focused on Youth Transitional Services."

While officer training was 11 weeks long, getting here was a dream years in the making for Eversole and many of his classmates.

"It is literally mind-blowing," Eversole said.

These graduates are now ready to get to work in hopes of making Louisville safer. The 13 corrections officers start their new job on Sunday.

"What you do matters, every day," Collins said.

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