Serious incidents like assaults, sex offenses or deaths occurred more than 400 times in the Erie County Holding Center in 2019, according to data from the State Commission of Correction.

But while these “reportable incidents” were happening more than once per day on average, some Erie County Sheriff’s deputies were not awake to see them.

That’s because instead of being on high alert in one of Western New York’s most notorious jails, the sheriff’s deputies were fast asleep.

Multiple times in recent years, Erie County Sheriff’s supervisors caught deputies sleeping on the job when they should have been doing their rounds, according to internal disciplinary documents obtained by the 7 Eyewitness News I-Team.

But not once in the last three years did the misconduct cost any of the deputies their jobs.

“It’s very concerning coming from the correction end of it,” said Thomas A. Beilein, retired chairman of the State Commission of Correction. “You’re talking about the health, safety and security of the whole facility.”

Read the full article at WKBW –>