Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley isn’t alone when he says he “can’t wrap his head around” why four of his jail employees released the wrong woman from the Onondaga County Justice Center jail on Aug. 8.
We can’t wrap our heads around the level of inattentiveness or incompetence it took for four people performing this critical job to make so many errors.
How could jail personnel not notice that Cortney Phillips wasn’t the person they were supposed to release? Or check her wristband to make sure her name and photo matched the paperwork? Or see that her hair was a different color? Or wonder why the clothes they gave her didn’t fit? Or send her on her way with addiction medication meant for the other person?…