AS PER TDOC WRITTEN POLICY
by Sharon Rondeau
(Feb. 25, 2018) — In a fourth-of-its-kind Administrative Notice, this time sent to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, MCCX inmate Grenda Ray Harmer wrote on February 14 that despite having been placed in Protective Custody (PC) last August, his situation has not been evaluated at regular intervals as required by Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) written policy.
Harmer was placed in the PC unit of the Morgan County Correctional Complex as a result of a gang member having entered his cell and threatened both his cellmate and him with bodily harm and theft of property. Harmer has written in several letters since that time that he believes the gang member’s ability to enter his cell was “orchestrated” by prison staff so as to necessitate Harmer’s isolation from the general population.
Three previous Administrative Notices directed to TDOC Commissioner Tony Parker and others have dealt with food service and portions; alleged misconduct on the part of MCCX employees; and the relocation of the gang member who threatened Harmer in close proximity to his cell.
After The Post & Email and David Tulis of Nooganomics made Harmer’s claim about the gang member known, TDOC spokeswoman Neysa Taylor claimed Harmer was untruthful, but according to letters received from Harmer subsequently, the gang member was moved out of the area.
In the most recent Administrative Notice, in his first item Harmer correctly quoted from TDOC Policy #404.09, Section VI, subsection F, paragraph 2, which states (page 4):
“I advised this was never done in my case,” Harmer wrote in the notice, continuing, “That if there is any documentation to the contrary that Counselor Cower and Corporal Wallace falsified state documents and committed fraud. Two criminal acts.” [sic]
Harmer then cited the next paragraph in the TDOC Policy, #3, which states:
Later in the notice, Harmer wrote, “The security cameras will verify what I am claiming. The cameras will show the P.C. Board never comes to Unit #1. The cameras will show that Counselor Cower and Corporal Cooper never call P.C. offenders out to conduct reviews every 7 days for the first 60 days of placement in Unit #1.”
He then claimed that because Cower, Cooper and others are not performing “work they are suppose [sic] to do but are not doing,” they “are thieves because they are stealing the Tennessee taxpayers money by accepting a check for work they are paid to do but are not doing it.” [sic]
On page 2, Harmer wrote that Phillips and Parker “are also thieves” for the same reason. As he has in the past, he asked Haslam to “fire” them.
The entire Administrative Notice reads as follows:
