DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — A former director of Wayne County’s troubled juvenile jail says she and two colleagues were terminated after raising safety concerns from inside the troubled facility.
Watch Ross Jones's video report:
Tamika Lofton joined the county only last year as a director, and says she and two deputy directors—Anthony Moorman and Quiotis Fletcher—were forced out for voicing alarm over how juveniles were housed at the detention facility.
Lofton says she and her colleagues pushed back earlier this year after being ordered by a superior “to consolidate all pods and combine the housing for co-defendants, including those facing murder charges.”
Lofton said the decision was made “to reduce the blueprint in the facility for staff” so that staff had less ground to cover.
That directive, according to attorney David Nacht, came from a consultant hired by Wayne County.
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“That company comes in and in violation of Michigan law, says we’re going to house dangerous kids with non-dangerous kids,” said Nacht, who is representing the three former employees.
“The experienced professionals who are employees of Wayne County say you can’t do that.”
Lofton said she and her colleagues were concerned for the safety of everyone inside the facility.
“I told them that was dangerous for us to do that, and it would lead to more incidents, injuries for the youth and the staff,” Lofton said.
The lawsuit claims it did.
Within two days of the pods being consolidated, multiple employees were injured and several juveniles were hospitalized following physical altercations, the lawsuit said.
The new policy would be short lived, according to the complaint, and the county eventually reversed course.
But weeks later, Lofton and the other employees say they would be terminated for speaking out.
“We know that was the reason why they were fired because right before they were fired, they were praised for their work,” Nacht said, citing positive employee reviews
For the last three years, 7 News Detroit has reported on the unsafe conditions inside the facility, dating back to when juveniles were housed here at the longtime juvenile facility near Greektown.
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The problems persisted, even after youth were moved to a former jail in the hopes that it would lead to fewer attacks.
But in 2013, a 12-year-old boy claimed he was beaten and sexually assaulted while inside. The county blamed the problems on understaffing and overcrowding.
Today, juveniles are housed at a new facility, part of Wayne County Justice Complex, which opened last year. Safety has improved, Lofton says, but that doesn’t mean staff and juveniles are out of harm’s way.
“I’m hoping for accountability for what happened,” Lofton said. “I’m hoping that the youth get treatment that they need and that they’re safe in their housing when they’re there.”
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In a statement, a spokesman for Wayne County Executive Warren Evans denied that the employees were fired improperly.
“Wayne County maintains the right to have individuals in leadership positions that align with the County’s interests,” said Doda Lulgjuraj, the county’s director of communications.
“A determination was made that the individuals no longer represented the County’s paramount interests concerning the health and safety of the youth in our facility. An investigation conducted by an independent agency determined that there was no improper basis for the separations.”
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.