Capt. Mark Loman is aware of the reputation.

St. Clair County Correctional Facility is often in the news. Since January the facility has been locked down five times. In April, the Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC) reported 30 inmates assaulted officers. Just this month, three individuals were arrested for trying to smuggle contraband into the facility.

“I’m sure all of you have heard strife in the stories about St. Clair Correctional,” Loman told the St. Clair County Commission in its October work session. “I’m not here to dispel those stories. But full staffing would resolve a lot of the problems we have.”

Loman serves as Director of Recruiting for the Alabama DOC, and he’s poised to appear frequently in St. Clair County over the coming months as he looks to add more guards to the workforce at the facility. Currently, he said, St. Clair Correctional has 108 officer positions unfilled at the prison of a possible 230. The prison is just over half-staffed, and it’s created an imbalance that’s led to an influx of contraband like drugs and cell phones as well as inmate fights.

Some see an opportunity for the county, though, in what Loman is trying to accomplish. By approaching the Commission, Loman is launching out a model that he recently employed in Atmore. There, local government bodies and economic development agencies partnered to recruit residents to the DOC. Together, they held job fairs where dozens signed up to start DOC training.

And Loman said that’s exactly what he wants to do here.

“I want to advertise heavily in your county,” he told commissioners. “If we can get these positions filled within a year, it could generate $3 million in revenue for your economy.”

Loman arrived at the $3 million figure based on hiring 108 high school-educated individuals from St. Clair County. The starting salary for a DOC officer is approximately $28,500 (x108 = about $3 million). Improving the economy doesn’t come simply from salaries though, so this figure is only an estimate at this time. But putting St. Clair residents to work always makes a difference.

“This is an opportunity for both economic development as well as public service,” said Jason Roberts of the St. Clair County Economic Development Council. “Anytime a company or organization hires locally it’s a great thing, and 100 jobs would definitely make an impact.”

Loman will speak to local leaders during the upcoming meeting of the St. Clair County Mayor’s Association, which will be held Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 a.m. at Ashville First Baptist Church. There, he hopes to begin the process of scheduling two local job fairs focused on providing residents with everything needed to be approved for a position with the DOC in one day.

5 › The number of times St. Clair County Correctional Facility in Springville has been on lockdown this year in response to contraband smuggling attempts and fights.

108 › Currently, of a possible 230, 108 DOC officer positions are open at the facility.

$3 million › Filling all positions at the base pay of $28,500 for a DOC officer would total more than $3 million in annual salaries.