The inmate who made an attempt at escape Sunday afternoon was four doors from freedom &045; four very large, very heavy doors that only open when the jailer wants them to.

&uot;Everybody that works here knows the inmates don’t get out,&uot; Adams County Jail Administrator Charles Harrigill said.

Jailers are trained to put their own safety on the line to keep inmates inside the county jail on State Street, Harrigill said.

But even if the inmate had gotten past the two jailers he held hostage for 14 minutes, he would still have had to reckon with the doors. He wouldn’t have made it out, Harrigill said.

Despite the confidence Harrigill, jailers and Sheriff Ronny Brown have in their ability to keep dangerous criminals inside their facility, what happened Sunday is a major concern.

Kendell Shorts, one of several suspects being held in connection with the January armed robbery of a Washington gas station, allegedly held a female officer hostage with two toothbrushes he had sharpened into knives.

The officer entered Shorts’ cell to retrieve a food tray. A second officer called for backup when he saw the makeshift knives being held to her neck. After about 15 minutes two guards who entered from the sides of the cell subdued Shorts.

&uot;We started last night (Sunday) talking to our officers,&uot; Brown said. &uot;And we know some things we should do. We are just going to take this and learn from it and use it as training.&uot;

Brown said typically officers do not enter cells alone, only with another officer or a trusty. This rule will be reinforced in the future.

The other area of concern is how Shorts was able to hide two toothbrushes and sharpen them into knives.

Every inmate is strip-searched upon booking, but Brown said the strip search may become a requirement every time an inmate is moved and at random intervals.

Jailers also use surveillance cameras to watch many areas of the jail and conduct random cell searches. Harrigill said more cameras are on the way and should be installed in the next three months.

Harrigill is also looking into new toothbrushes that don’t have a hard plastic handle, but simply slide onto the finger and have bristles.

The only items left in cells are mattresses, blankets and personal hygiene items.

When an inmate causes trouble or had medical concerns they are moved into a cell located closest to the jailers. Shorts, who was on medical watch, was in one of these cells Sunday and was visible from the jailer control room.

Inmates held in these cells only come out for showers and a state required one hour of exercise a day. Jailers do enter the cells several more times a day to deliver meals.

Harrigill said adding food ports, holes in the door large enough for a tray, may be something they soon consider.

Brown said the reaction of the officers held hostage other officers in the jail Sunday night was what diffused a dangerous situation.

&uot;The training was what saved them,&uot; he said. &uot;They reacted in the right way and kept the guy calm.&uot;

Jail officers foiled another attempted escape in August when capital murder inmate Nathan Hogan and his cellmate were routinely moved to a new cell. The men’s reactions to the move alerted jailers, who searched and found that the mortar holding in the window had been dug out about a third of the way around. The tool used for digging was never found.

After that incident, inmates were locked down and not allowed to watch television or have visitors. More attention was given to surveillance cameras and more checks were initiated.

Jail security is always a major concern in any facility, Concordia Parish Jail Warden Freddy Mount said.

&uot;This is what a criminal does best,&uot; Mount said. &uot;He has nothing but time to think of ways to get out. He doesn’t sit back there and think about how sorry he is for committing the crime, or the grief and pain he’s caused his family or the victim &045; just how to get out.&uot;

At the Concordia Parish jail inmates are also searched at booking.

&uot;Each one is searched completely,&uot; Mount said. &uot;And, if it’s someone that I suspect I’ll have a problem with, I immediately transfer him to the Concordia Parish Correctional Facility.&uot;

The CPCF has more personnel and is better equipped to handle potential problem prisoners, Mount said.

A security camera system is used in the parish jail and unexpected searches are also held.

Shorts will now face additional charges of attempted escape and assault on an officer.