By CHASE SQUIRES, Associated Press Writer
FLORENCE, Colo. — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales toured a federal prison holding some of the nation’s most violent and disruptive inmates on Wednesday and said the facility is secure, but he conceded that it could be improved.
“Are there challenges? Yes,” said Gonzales, the nation’s top law enforcement official. “Can we do better? Yes.”
Gonzales agreed to visit the prison, known as Supermax, after Colorado’s two senators raised concerns about staffing and security.
He stopped short of promising to increase the number of guards or build an additional fence around the compound, as some state and local officials have advocated. Instead, he said he was willing to listen.
“The question is reaching a general consensus on what is needed,” Gonzales said. “There may be additional staffing that we can provide to the facilities here.”
Supermax, 90 miles southwest of Denver, houses 474 of the nation’s most notorious convicts, including Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph and Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui.
Security at the 490-bed prison, built in 1994 for $60 million, has been under scrutiny for months. Last year, an arbitrator found that staffing levels had made the facility more dangerous, with some shifts going unfilled. In September, a Justice Department report criticized the prison for not properly screening mail.
The Justice Department says that all mail and phone calls to and from inmates labeled as terrorists have been monitored since October, and that perimeter security has been beefed up.
Sens. Wayne Allard, a Republican, and Ken Salazar, a Democrat, accompanied Gonzales.
John Gage, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, also took the tour. He said prison officers are not asking for more money, just more staff.
Bureau of Prisons Director Harley Lappin, also on the tour, said Supermax staffing is higher than it was five years ago and enough to safely manage the facility.