Gov. Carney to meet with Del. correctional officers in town hall

A town-hall style meeting is set to take place in Dover between a correctional officers' union and Governor John Carney.

The meeting is hosted by the Correctional Officers Association of Delaware ('COAD'), which has been vocal on prison conditions in Delaware following a fatal hostage situation at a Smyrna prison.

"I suspect they'll have some very heartfelt things to share with me," Governor Carney tells 47ABC.

According to Carney, the dialogue on Tuesday night will likely consist of issues related to the safety of institutions and ways to improve working conditions for officers.

"Frankly, it's just an opportunity for me to listen and for them [officers] to talk to their Governor about concerns they have," says Carney.

The meeting comes nearly two month after a 16-year veteran of the Delaware Department of Corrections was killed following an inmate uprising at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna.

Lieutenant Steven Floyd, 47, was one of four prison employees held hostage during the 19 hour stand-off in February.

Since then, COAD says they've been actively engaged in trying to secure an agreement with the state of Delaware to ensure the needs of correctional officers are met.

In a past interview with 47ABC, association president Geoff Klopp said the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center alone needs more than 100 officers. A proposal to address these kinds of problems was presented earlier this month; however, COAD claims in a recent press release Carney did not adopt their proposal into his proposed budget.

COAD officials say they met with the Governor following his budget presentation on March 23, requesting he come to the COAD union hall and speak directly to union members in a town hall format.

When asked about that encounter, Carney told 47ABC "Yeah, I think they were not…happy with what we put in the budget, obviously. We put something in there mostly as a placeholder because we have an independent review happening right now to highlight or identify places where we should make investments."

Separate from the tragic hostage situation in February, Governor Carney tells 47ABC he's aware there are issues with compensation and staffing in prisons that need to be addressed.

Klopp declined to speak on camera ahead of Tuesday night's meeting; however, he says he is optimistic.

The meeting is set for 6 p.m. at Dover High School. COAD says they expect a large turnout.