Catherine Shin
	Associate Producer, Lockdown

As the bars and clubs empty out late Friday night, more arrestees crowd into the basement of downtown Portland’s maximum-security jail. Soon, the booking department is bustling at the Multnomah County Detention Center in Oregon. Most walk in drunk, high, or both. Many are upset. Some are angry and more than ready to express those sentiments. They may simply yell and scream or take it a step further by violently lashing out at anyone within their reach.

Watching the officers manage this chaotic confusion, I realized just how dangerous their job can be. Multnomah County’s booking department is one of the busiest in the country. It takes in about 3500 inmates each month, more than 100 a day. Weekend nights see the most activity.

The most striking threat I immediately noticed here is the volatility. Police bring these suspects right off the street, and along with them comes a lot of uncertainty. Since most arrestees are still hopped up on some kind of substance or coming down from it, their emotions are intense and unpredictable. Some bring an inclination for violence. Methamphetamine is popular in this area and particularly problematic for law enforcement. The drug elevates aggression levels and psychotic behavior, often generating fierce outbursts.

Of course, inmates may try to sneak in weapons and other contraband, missed in the initial search. Sometimes, the items found are harmless and rather random. Our crew witnessed one man’s attempt to smuggle in a bird’s nest, along with the egg it originally housed. However, the searches usually uncover much more serious, threatening items: drugs, knives, razor blade, syringes, and guns, hidden in the cleverest of places.

I was also astonished by what is known as the open booking concept. After the initial pat down, arrestees are processed into the system. This procedure typically takes 4 to 6 hours, and during most of the time, they sit in an open room together, regardless of their crime. Someone brought in for drunk driving or drug possession may find himself right next to someone suspected of rape or murder. The group just watches TV, completely unrestrained. Without any barriers separating them from each other nor from the officers, this seems like a bad situation just waiting to happen. Yet it works. It’s basically an honor system, and the rules are simple. Be respectful. Men do not talk to women. Remain seated. Stay quiet. The television helps out here, especially for this last rule.

The real key, though, is control. The staff maintains that control by setting the tone the instant arrestees walk through that door. Officers do not wait for something to go bad; they immediately eliminate any potential problems with a no-nonsense, unbelievably quick approach. Those who can’t cooperate will end up in an isolation cell, similar to a very cold and uncomfortable time-out room. Initially, they will often scream, curse, kick, and pound the door but eventually choose to calm down and rejoin the group.

When talking to the officers about how they cope with such volatility, I repeatedly heard this common philosophy. Walk into work everyday with one key goal in mind: Go out the same way you came in, in one piece. It’s a thought that most of us never consider in our time at the office or the factory. For those at the Multnomah County Detention Center, it’s just another part of the job.