Sheriffs: Chicago Jail Locked Down, 200+ Corrections Officers Called in Sick on Mother’s Day

A Chicago-area jail went on lockdown Sunday after more than 200 corrections officers called in sick for Mother’s Day, sheriffs said.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said that 32 percent of corrections officers scheduled to work the morning shift at the Cook County Jail Sunday were no-shows, Fox News reported.

The substantial number of absentee officers forced the jail to go on lockdown, allowing “essential movement” only for medical emergencies.

Eighty-six of the officers called in sick, while 126 said they took an absence as allowed under the Family Medical Leave Act, a federal law that requires employers to allow employees to take time off for illness, pregnancy, or related medical issues.

The Daily Mail reported that another 154 people called out of the evening shift at the jail.

“The extraordinary number of call-offs puts additional pressure on the men and women of the Sheriff’s office who come to work as scheduled,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

The jail has had a history of absentee employees on holidays. In 2016, 420 officers called in sick for Mother’s Day, and more than 520 officers were absent on Father’s Day and the following Monday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.