All of us at Teamsters Local 117 are stricken by the tragic death of Jayme Lee Biendl, the Correctional Officer who was brutally murdered in the chapel of the Monroe Correctional Complex (MCC) on January 29, 2011.
Officer Biendl was an exceptional professional who died needlessly in the line of duty. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family, friends and fellow Correctional Employees at MCC and across the State of Washington.
In honor of our fallen Sister, Teamsters Local 117 has established the Jayme Biendl Benevolent Fund.
Proceeds from the fund will offset funeral expenses and go to Officer Biendl’s family. You may donate at any Bank of America branch location. You may also send your donations in care of Teamsters Local 117 to:
Jayme Biendl Benevolent FundA memorial service will be held Tuesday.
c/o Teamsters Local 117
14675 Interurban Ave. S. Suite 307
Tukwila, WA 98168
Meanwhile, the state Department of Corrections is changing some procedures in response to her death. The Olympian reports:
Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail said Friday that prisons immediately will begin counting staff members whenever an offender is missing; officers will begin regularly checking in on guards who serve at duty posts alone; and prisons will start conducting drills on the use of silent alarms on the hand-held radios that guards carry.Local 117's principal officer, Tracy Thompson, called the moves "important first steps."
In addition, the department says it will no longer hold modified lockdowns once a month at the state's eight major prisons. The lockdowns coincided with furloughs of nonessential staff to save money. Spokesman Chad Lewis says that stopping the lockdowns will make the prisons safer because those nonessential staff members will be present.
Biendl had previously complained that she didn't feel safe working alone in the prison chapel.
