Police Chief Robert Dunlap on Jeffrey Epstein’s Death and Protecting Inmates

FAQs

• How does the Wayne County Jail handle suicide watch?

  Chief Dunlap said research shows jail suicides generally occur within the first 48 to 72 hours, the most critical time. Regular rounds are every 45 minutes; for someone flagged, the jail may increase the watch to every 30 minutes, every 15 minutes, or continuous, uninterrupted watch, depending on the person’s behavior and activity.

• What did Chief Dunlap say about Jeffrey Epstein being taken off suicide watch?

  He said he believed Epstein should have been on a super suicide watch throughout his stay, and that he understood Epstein was removed from suicide watch at some point before he had gone to trial, which to him “didn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

• How many inmate suicides has the Wayne County Jail had recently?

  Chief Dunlap said there were about four or five suicides in 2015, but none in the two years leading up to the interview.

• Does the Wayne County Jail offer kosher meals to inmates?

  Yes, according to Chief Dunlap, though it may not be the kosher you want because it is jail; he described it as mostly plant-based. Inmates who request one for religious reasons sit down with a jail chaplain to fill out a form questionnaire, which is then submitted to the kitchen for approval.

• What does Chief Dunlap think happened to Jeffrey Epstein?

  He did not give a verdict. He said he could not imagine someone getting into a jail, killing a person and escaping without anyone seeing, unless another inmate was involved. On reports that the guards falsified records and didn’t check on Epstein for hours, he said a lot of that does not make sense and he found it very hard to believe officers who knew Epstein was under their watch did those things, though he said it is possible.