Dexter Wells, warden at the Troup County Correctional Institute on Hamilton Road, has laid down the law to attendants at the county’s garbage convenience centers.

In a memo to the 26 part-time workers, Wells said he had noticed temporary shelters at compactor areas, along with a large amount of personal property. Some attendants have set up TVs and DVD players, he said, and items have been removed from bins and used by inmates or attendants.

“This practice should be stopped immediately,” Wells said in the memo dated Monday. “I will remind you that removal of items from the bins is against Troup County policy and will not be allowed.”

Wells, who has instructed a correctional sergeant to remove the “unsightly debris” immediately, said any items left at the site after Monday will be considered garbage and destroyed.

Earlier this month, the fourth inmate in the past year had to be taken back to the Correctional Institute after consuming enough alcohol to require medical treatment, Wells said.

He said he learned the alcohol was being stored in a makeshift shelter beside the compactor. Each convenience center has a building for attendants and inmates to take shelter in bad weather.

“I will remind you that the use of inmate labor is provided to assist you in the manual labor that is needed to clean the site,” Wells told the attendants. “It is your responsibility to watch this inmate and report any behavior that is out of the ordinary.”

Wells said a member of the pubic also reported seeing an attendant drinking while on duty and “that type of behavior will not be tolerated.”

“Our job is to serve the citizens of Troup County,” he said. “We should use the time at work to clean and assist the public with their sanitation needs, not read books and watch television.”

He said the convenience centers will be inspected starting Jan. 1 and any attendants who fail to meet their obligations will be fired.

“I hope each and every one of you will join with me to clean up these sites and make them presentable to the public,” he said.

County Manager Mike Dobbs suggested rotating inmates among the 13 convenience centers so they don’t become “too tied” to attendants.

“Things have gotten a little relaxed,” Dobbs told commissioners at a meeting Friday.

Joel Martin can be reached at jmartin@lagrangenews.com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 235.