Officer Testimonial

Jim Briar, Correctional Officer, Kent Institution, Correctional Services Canada

I specifically looked at your TurtleSkin stickproof gloves. At the time I thought they were a bit costly and decided to continue using the CSC (Correctional Services Canada) issue gloves. I thought maybe some time in the future I might buy myself a pair of the TurtleSkin gloves if I had a few extra dollars to play with.

A few months later I was involved in searching cells in a living unit. I was searching a cell with another officer when I was poked with a tattoo needle the inmate had hidden behind a ledge. I can remember looking down at my hand with disbelief and thinking, “That didn’t really happen.” I pulled off my glove and sure enough, I could see a small needlestick mark on my finger. My partner told me to go to healthcare immediately and have them look at it. i reported the incident to my supervisor, who reiterated the need to immediately attend healthcare.

I had to rush to the hospital for blood tests and to be placed on HIV protocol. I became sick from this medication and combined with not knowing what the future held, fear crept into my mind. The next week I was in a state of shock. My wife too felt the stress and fear from this incident. It was a very tough time that first week. Over and over I kept asking myself why I had not bought those gloves. The price seemed insignificant compared to the stress both me and my family were facing.

I was lucky, the blood tests came back negative. The stress is now gone, but the fear of another needle stick is always in the forefront of my thoughts when conducting searches. I know that I do not want my family to feel the fear or stress that they felt while awaiting the results of those blood tests again. I know this will not happen because I will be wearing my TurtleSkin gloves the next time I conduct a search.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 29th, 2010 at 5:12 am and is filed under Law Enforcement Gloves. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.