Optimist Club of Gettysburg representative Doug Miller presented Warden Katy Hileman and Deputy Warden Larry Snyder of the Adams County Adult Correctional Complex their 2022 Law Enforcement Award yesterday morning.
Miller said the two had 30 years of combined experience and were currently responsible for 170 staff members as well as over 300 inmates. Miller said the wardens were “dedicated to the field of corrections and worked to update procedures using evidence-based programming.”
The wardens were thanked by Miller and the commissioners for their work in minimizing the spread of Covid in the prison.
County Commissioners President Randy Phiel said he appreciated the Optimist Club for “taking the time to seek out candidates for this award. Working in a prison is always a challenging job, but in the last two years the challenges have been over the top. This award makes us all feel good,” he said.
President Judge Michael George noted the difficulty of the wardens’ job and said he was thrilled the award was being given. “You toil away on a daily basis to provide a critical function here in the community and unfortunately you only get noticed when thing go wrong,” he said. “It always amazes me the responsibility in the functions you perform.”
“You are feeding, you are treating, you are housing, you are providing religious services, you are providing education to hundreds of people on a daily basis. And you’re not getting paid enough,” said George.
George noted the respect and dignity the wardens showed to staff and inmates at the jail. “I think it’s great the community recognizes what you’ve been doing,” he said.
Commissioner Marty Qually thanked the wardens saying “three of the hardest jobs in Adams County are corrections officers, probation officers, and substance abuse workers. You work in a very difficult environment. It’s really hard to be optimistic in this field. Too often you don’t get to see the success. Every day does not go as planned but at the end of the day there is success. We just have to have faith it’s going to happen. You’re often forgotten, especially when we talk about law enforcement.”
Charles (Chuck) Stangor is Gettysburg Connection's Owner, Publisher, and Editor in Chief. I would like to hear from you. Please contact me at cstangor@gettysburgconnection.org.