Celebrating Correctional Officers Week

On May 5, 1984, President Ronald Regan signed a proclamation dedicating the first full week of May as National Correctional Officers Week. This year, Correctional Officers Week is May 7-13. The intent of this week is to honor the men and women who have and still do serve the unseen, undiscussed, and often forgotten about segment of law enforcement by choosing to work in county jails, state facilities, and federal penitentiaries across the United States.

The Colorado County Jail, located at 2215 Walnut St., Columbus has been operating since 1994. It is a 99 bed maximum capacity facility staffed 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The chain of command setup from top to bottom is Captain Nathan Zwahr, Lieutenant Tracy Lewis, Lieutenant Chris Vanicek, Sergeant Robin Litvik, and Sergeant Clifford schindler. There are four shifts that work a four on/four off schedule of 12 hours either 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Each of these shifts is comprised of a corporal, a control room operator, and one to two floor jailers.

Jail staff are responsible for the safety and security of the inmates in our care as well as the overall safety and security of the building and property. We accept people to be booked in from Colorado County Sheriff’s Office Deputies, Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers, the Columbus Police Department, Weimar Police Department, and Eagle Lake Police Department, as well as Texas Game Wardens and U.S. Marshals.

The Colorado County Jail provides three meals a day to all inmates as well as monitors their health and wellbeing. The jail said it works closely with the court systems and transports inmates to their final sentencing units as needed. The jail said there is a lot more to the county jail than people think.

The jail is currently hiring for all shifts. Those interested in a possible career, curious about the jail, or would like to donate anything to the officers that are on duty can stop by the jail and visit.

To donate or for questions about the facility, contact Lt. Vanicek at 979-732-2388 ext. 249 or Sgt. Litvik at 979-7330224.