Sheriff: No Choice But To Fire Jailer Any Relationship Between Officers, Inmates Will Not Be Tolerated, Goldman Says

Spokane County Sheriff John Goldman said Wednesday he fired one of his jailers because he will not tolerate inappropriate contact or relationships between officers and inmates.

“It’s virtually impossible, in a practical sense, to have a consensual relationship between a corrections officer and an inmate,” he said. The balance of power is too one-sided, he said.

John Giordano “kissed and touched” a female inmate, Goldman said. He also broke department rules by bringing her cigarettes, the sheriff said.

The Giordano case is the latest in a string of allegations made by women against corrections officers.

The county paid Mary Garza $36,500 last year to drop a lawsuit in which she claimed she had been raped by former jailer Roy Frankel while she was incarcerated at the jail.

Frankel was acquitted of rape charges but was fired anyway.

Jailer Ron Tussey resigned in 1992 after a seven-month investigation into allegations he had abused his access to law enforcement computers to look up information on women he wanted to date.

“We’re trying to be very consistent and clear,” Goldman said. “In terms of any relationship between a jailer and an inmate or an officer and the public, it has to be professional.”

Giordano was fired June 1, and he has not appealed the action.

Goldman said the department was not trying to cover up the investigation. It simply didn’t occur to anyone to make the information public until reporters inquired, he said.

“We don’t want the media or the public to have the impression that we are trying to hide or do business behind closed doors,” he said.

The woman did not report the allegations directly to officials. Rather, she told another corrections officer and her attorney, who made complaints on her behalf.

Giordano, a nine-year veteran of the jail, was placed on administrative leave in late February.

A criminal investigation was dismissed by the prosecutor’s office without any charges being filed, Goldman said.

But an internal investigation found that Giordano had violated department policy.

Although Giordano did not have any history of disciplinary action, Goldman said he had no choice but to fire the jailer.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy. It’s kind of like sexual harassment,” Goldman said. “You cannot mediate any type of resolution to this. You simply can’t allow it or condone it in any way.”

, DataTimes