Fired CO May Not Have Been Alone In Smuggling to Inmates

A Correction Officer who was fired Oct. 8 for smuggling a scalpel to an inmate on Rikers Island has not yet been arrested, but sources said the investigation may be broadening to include as many as three other COs.

"This is a problem now," said one source. "They make us all look bad. A red flag should go up."

Fired During Roll Call

Rikers Island staff caught Carlos Merwin, 27, smuggling contraband to an inmate, who was a reputed gang leader. The Correction Officer, who was on the job less than a year and a half, was fired but not arrested, said Department of Correction spokesman Stephen Morello. Mr. Merwin was dismissed publicly, at roll call, to send a message to the other officers, sources said.

Mr. Morello would not comment on whether the ongoing investigation involves other Correction Officers, but sources said the department was trying to get Mr. Merwin to implicate co-workers. "There is a problem in the department now," said a source in the Correction Department. "The DOC Investigation Division has not done enough to uncover corruption. Their priorities are misguided."

The source, who spoke conditional on anonymity, said he had noticed a problem in the culture of the department, not just the Investigation Division. "When I came on the job there was a mindset, a line drawn; you'd be more afraid of us than the Inspector General," he said.

Though it was not clear whether Mr. Merwin had a prior criminal record, the source said the department needed to do a better job of screening future hires. Mr. Merwin is reportedly the 10th officer disciplined by the Correction Department in the past month for preferential treatment or lax security.

Michael Skelly, a spokesman for the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, would not comment on allegations of corruption among Correction Officers. "The union will do everything possible to ensure the officer receives the best representation possible," he said.