With the murders of three inmates , and the stabbing of two correctional officers in just more than a  month at Hays State Prison in Pennville, the surrounding community and local officials are concerned that the maximum security prison is at a boiling point ready to explode.  

Our sources indicate that all inmates have been removed from one building, where most of the cell locks are not functioning, and into another, which reportedly also has some lock issues. These are general population buildings. 

Since the buildings in which the inmates were moved also reportedly has broken locks, corrections officers have been instructed to not enter the building in groups of less than six. A portion of that group of six includes DOC COBRA team members who reportedly are now at Hays Correctional Institute, according to our sources.  DOC  Northern Field Operations Manager Rick Jacobs  would not confirm that, but said there is additional personnel at the prison for safety purposes. Our sources say there are two COBRA Teams at the prison.  

COBRA is a fairly new tactical unit within the Department of Corrections based out of Forsyth. According to the minutes of the March 3, 2012 meeting of the Board of Corrections, the job of the unit to try to interdict cell phones and shake down institutions.  The unit was formed on July 1, 2011 which consists of a 24 member Tactical Unit designed for rapid deployment throughout the state.  It is composed of a Commander, an Assistant Commander, and has 10 members per squad.  The members receive advanced specialized training in civil disturbance, riot control, chemical munitions, and institutional security procedures.

COBRA goes to various institutions when needed and are rapidly deployed,  targeting “hot spots” at facilities that are experiencing crisis situations. They specialize in entry/takedown procedures, response to riots, high profile transports, shakedowns, and preventing escapes and other disturbances.

 According to the DOC website, Hays is listed as  a close security  facility, housing offenders with behavioral problems that cannot be addressed at other prisons and Mental Health Level II offenders.

The DOC websites defines a close security prison as one that houses  offenders that are escape risks, have  assault histories, are considered dangerous. It says these offenders  may never leave the prison, require supervision at all times by a corrections officer and are housed in prisons with high levels of security.