Thanks For Your Dedication Dora Schriro Director Arizona department of Corrections We are so very, very happy. Both of our officers are back with us -alive. They are heroes, our heroes. Throughout this ordeal they displayed uncommon courage and bravery beyond belief. We celebrate their professionalism and their perseverance. This was an exceptionally difficult and very dangerous situation and tactically, it was nearly impossible. The tower was constructed and equipped not to be taken. Taking it back without loss of life to our staff and their rescuers took time, a lot of time. We worked every angle, every day - negotiation, intelligence, tactical. It worked. Their safe release is the result of teamwork by many: Each and every corrections professional in this agency; Our colleagues in the state's Departments of Public Safety; Juvenile Corrections, and Homeland Security; Locally, the Maricopa County's Sheriffs Department and the police departments of Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Glendale; At the federal level - the FBI, Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and armed forces, the governor and her staff; the media whose restraint in front of the camera and heroic efforts behind the scene got us the best possible outcome under these circumstances. This state is blessed to have so many talented and committed responders. There were two command centers, one here in central office and the other on site at Lewis. Negotiators, profilers, and tactical teams remained at Lewis around the clock. The negotiations were arduous. The inmates made no demands for days that were directly related to the release. In the end, that which we do routinely - administrative transfers to other states - was also their primary concern. Our assurances that inter-state transfers had been arranged however, sat on the table for 11 more days. Now that we have access to the crime scene, the crime victim, and the criminals, the criminal investigation can be concluded and vigorous prosecution pursued. We have a lot of work to do at ADC, too. Agency personnel in every work assignment will be invited to take a top to bottom look at this situation. In the course of our analysis I think we can learn a lot that we will use to improve our security operations. While we may identify policies and practices that can be made better, let's be clear about this. It was these two inmates and these two inmates alone who broke the law, took our staff to the tower, and kept them there for 15 days. The first leg of the ordeal that they and their families have endured has ended with their release and now, the second phase - recovery - begins. All of us in their extended family will continue to do everything that we can for them. I know that you will, too. Please, give them their space and respect their privacy. In turn, we will provide you with as many of the details that you've requested over the past two weeks as quickly as we can. We will be as forthcoming as we possibly can about what happens and what happens next. Throughout this incident, the Governor has stood by our agency and supported our every effort. I need to return to the Command Center shortly to oversee the aftermath and ensure operations remain stable department-wide. Return to PIO/Media return to Lewis Hostage Incident Information