DannyBoyinExile

I was on the phone in the dayroom yesterday, and saw a bunch of guards running down the hall, responding to a disturbance in one of the other wings. Each dayroom has a wall of windows facing the hallway, so that the guards in the hall can see into the dayrooms. In this manner we keep up with the various shenanigans going on at any given time, since we can see into the hallway as well as they can see in. We may not know exactly what’s going on, but we know that SOMETHING transpired, and it’s usually only a matter of minutes until that guilty party is led out in handcuffs. Then of course the next time we go to chow, rec, or work, the guys from that wing are usually eager to gossip about it.
Each correctional officer in TDCJ is issued a two-way radio for the duration of his shift. They learn the various call signs, and are quickly able to get in touch with other guards or supervisors when necessary. Generally this is mundane radio traffic, but when you hear an officer shouting “Flash Flash Flash!” – this means some disturbance or emergency is underway, which requires immediate backup. That’s when you witness every available guard running to the area, like I witnessed yesterday.
With the exception of violent incidents (such as fights, staff assaults, or riots), it is totally at the wing officer’s discretion whether it warrants a Flash Flash Flash or not. Some guards are hesitant to make the call, considering that anything they say over the radio will be broadcast aloud to every guard who HAS a radio. (All of them, in other words.)
Other guards aren’t hesitant at all. I’ve seen inmates playfully jumping on somebody, to give them the traditional “birthday ass-whipping” – only to have their festivities disrupted by a Flash Flash Flash call, and a swarm of officers running onto the wing. The funniest one I’ve ever seen (Flash Flash Flash, I mean, not birthday ass-whipping) was when all of the Christians in the dayroom stood and gathered into a circle for their daily Prayer Call. The new African immigrant didn’t know what to make of it – so she called a Flash Flash Flash, just in case!
The other guards (especially the supervisors) are never happy to respond to a frivolous call – and they let her know that – but she WAS doing her job, even if she was a bit overzealous about it. The Christians, for that matter, felt a bit persecuted as well, but it was an honest mistake. I couldn’t help but make light of the situation by asking them, “What would Jesus do?” Clearly, He’d pray for her – but hopefully not in a manner that would get a Flash Flash Flash called on Him! (just kidding)
The radios are just another way that TDCJ is keeping up with the times, and I can’t fault them for making the attempt to ensure that it’s safer around here. Mistakes and overreactions will occur, but if you happen to really BE in danger some day, in the midst of a violent altercation, a Flash Flash Flash just may be the best thing you could hope for. It could even save your life. So says DannyBoy.