Overnight convoy moves inmates to new Kane County jail

Much of the Fox Valley snoozed through one of the largest and most complex operations in the history of the Kane County sheriff's office overnight.

It was no accident.

Less traffic, fewer pedestrians and the cover of night all helped ensure secure travel for more than 500 convicts and suspected criminals on a 5-mile trek from Geneva to St. Charles early Saturday morning.

A chore in planning for months, the relocation of the county's entire jail population to a new, $56 million corrections facility and sheriff's office on Route 38 required some 150 police and jail officials from across the region.

They traveled in a convoy of squads, vans and buses, with armed SWAT teams guarding the inmates as they were hauled in groups from one sally port to another.

"I think we all understand what a historical, crucial night this is," Sheriff Pat Perez told a group of about 25 officers before the move began Friday night. "With the grace of God, we'll pull this off."

Prisoners weren't supposed to know they were going anywhere until they found themselves being roused from sleep around 10 p.m.

The time and logistics of the move were kept secret from anyone who wasn't involved in an official capacity, though inmates may have known something was up Wednesday when visitation and phone privileges were abruptly halted.

"The problem is, all it takes is one," Lt. Pat Gengler said of the possibility of a prisoner trying to escape. "That's what concerns us the most."

It's been more than 30 years since the county lockup relocated from the courthouse on Third Street in Geneva to the last jail on Fabyan Parkway, also in Geneva, around 1975.

Gengler, who is the sheriff's public information officer, said the latest operation began months ago with assigning classifications to inmates based on behavior in custody and criminal history, among other factors.

Those believed to be the most dangerous, or those most likely to attempt escape, left the old jail site first - before whispers of the move would make it from one cell block to the next.

Following a preplanned route with extra security along the way, the convoy made consistent back-and-forth trips.

When inmates arrived at the new jail, they unloaded in small groups and were ordered not to speak by tactical police wearing bulletproof vests and carrying nonlethal "pepper ball" guns.

Prisoners stuffed their belongings in jail-issued bags for transport and they were strip-searched upon arrival in St. Charles.

During transports, police said they were prepared to call in a helicopter should something go wrong. Local fire departments and police in surrounding communities were on alert, if not involved with the move directly. There were response plans for car jackings, fires and incidents of mass casualty.

"Whatever happens, we have a plan ready to go," Sgt Wayne Gordon said.

Altogether, 511 inmates - roughly 80 of them women - arrived at the new jail before sunrise Saturday.

Some already have been convicted of violent crimes such as rape and murder and are awaiting sentencing; others are being held on nonviolent charges like identity theft. There won't be much of a change in their daily routines, but the inmates can count on this: more sparkling, spacious quarters, a day room with fresh air ventilation and a secure walkway from the jail straight to the adjacent Kane County courthouse. Services such as GED classes, church services and visitations also will take place in individual cellblocks instead of in separate areas that require prisoners to leave their blocks. For those who work at the sheriff's office, moving day arrived with a bit of apprehension and a bit of excitement.

But the magnitude of the night's events weren't lost on them, especially not Lt. Lynne Woodruff, whose father was involved with the last Kane County jail relocation.

"It's probably the biggest operation most of us will have in our careers," she said.