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Supervisor at Florida detention facility shares story of perseverance in fighting coronavirus

Between the crying, coughing, and heavy concern marked on the woman’s face, Lt. Vincent Red knew something was wrong.

As a supervisor of 60-plus deputies, sergeants, and detention aids in one of Florida’s largest jail facilities, Red frequently encounters crisis situations. But given the state of prison facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic — popular nesting grounds for the disease — this incident prompted further concern.

The woman, one of Red’s deputies, stood at the walk-through scanner coughing and was genuinely concerned about entering the facility. She had started work six months ago as a housing deputy, directly supervising and interacting with 60-70 inmates, some of whom tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Given her symptoms, she assumed she had also contracted the disease.

“Her stress level was very high,” said Red. “Seeing worry in my staff is something that isn’t easy for me.”

Both wearing facemasks, Red and his deputy exited the building, then Red provided her the hotline number for immediate testing. If positive, Red would organize a contact tracing investigation to prevent others from contracting the disease.

“When the results came back negative, she was relieved,” said Red. “To see that joy in her eyes made me feel good, because I know this virus is very serious.”

Red has served in his role for over 21 years. When he’s not managing the everyday operations — which include scheduling, evaluations, and inmate grievance investigations — Red responds to attempted suicides and other critical incidents as the facility’s primary crisis manager.

Red said the risky jail environment has caused a lot of stress on his staff, especially given the additional safety procedures. A cleanup crew sanitizes the jail twice a shift, disinfecting each knob, crevice, common area, and other touchable surfaces. Red said the precautions have significantly protected staffers from the disease. Since the outbreak, only one employee has been diagnosed with the virus and has fully recovered.

“The hardest thing I’ve had to endure is walking into the jail every day knowing that it could be my last day,” he said. “We could die from COVID-19, and we have to keep that in mind every time we walk into the jail.”

“Everyone struggles with adversity, but I want people to know that they can overcome adversity and accomplish a lot,” he added. “Sometimes people faulter when they have adversity thrown their way. But through God, they can be strong.”

While working full time, Red has excelled as an interdisciplinary studies student with Liberty University Online Programs, focusing his studies on general studies and criminal justice while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. He was recently inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), a society with notable honorary members including the late Sen. John McCain and former President Jimmy Carter.

Red’s achievements include multiple honorable service awards within his department as well as perfect attendance awards and the Meritorious Service Award in 2004. In addition, he also won the physical proficiency award while attending the Corrections Academy in 1996.

“I’m grateful that I was able to overcome all this stress and still recently receive several awards,” said Red, who won honorable service awards as recent as 2014 and 2019. “For all of these accolades, I give the glory all to God. Without Him, it wouldn’t be possible.”

After completing his associate’s in interdisciplinary studies, Red plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice through Liberty Online.

“Liberty University has made a big impact in my life,” he said. “It has brought me closer to God. This school deserves a lot of credit, because it has made me a better man. I love Liberty. It has changed my life. … I want people to know that even though they may face life and death every day, in Christ they can overcome that to accomplish anything.”

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