A jail officer at Rikers Island has been charged with falsifying suicide prevention training records.
A correction officer was charged with fabricating suicide prevention training for 74 officers (Source: New York Daily News).
NYC jail officer at Rikers Island was charged
41-year-old Vinette Tucker-Frederick was arraigned on multiple counts, including tampering with public records, identity theft, and official misconduct.
According to prosecutors, Tucker-Frederick awarded training credit to 74 officers who were on leave in 2021. Despite not being present at Rikers Island, these officers received credit for the training. This deceptive practice was discovered, leading to Tucker-Frederick’s charges.
Tucker-Frederick, a nine-year veteran of the Department of Correction, has been suspended without pay indefinitely. Her lawyer, Peter C. Troxler, maintains her innocence and expects her to be exonerated, according to The New York Times.
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Rikers Island (Photo Source: CNN News).
The jail officer’s intention
The motive behind her actions, as stated by Bronx district attorney, Darcel Clark, was the pressure to increase training numbers due to a series of suicides in the jails. In 2021, there were six reported suicides.
At the Anna M. Kross Center in Rikers Island, where Frederick was stationed, only about 5% of the staff had undergone suicide prevention training.
During the first two weeks of May 2021, numerous officers were falsely credited with completing the training, despite being absent from the facility.
The investigation into Tucker-Frederick’s actions was carried out by the Bronx District Attorney’s Public Integrity Bureau and the city’s Department of Investigation, according to New York Daily News.
