January 2nd, 2014 by WCBC Radio
WCBC’s “Person of the Year” for 2013 is Gary Maynard, the now retired secretary of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Like Time Magazine, WCBC features and profiles a person, group, idea or object that "for better or for worse…has done the most to influence the events of the year." Maynard was selected as he was in charge of the state prison system at a time this past summer when concerns over violence at NBCI in Cresaptown came to the forefront when 15 corrections officers suffered injuries in four separate incidents. The spike in violence culminated with the brutal knife assault by an inmate on officer Herbert Hilliard on Aug. 5. Hilliard suffered 10 stabbing wounds requiring surgery and and a 23-hour stay at the Western Maryland Regional Medical Center. Shortly after it was revealed upper management at the prison was aware of an inmates intention to attack Hilliard, but they failed to notify him of the threat. Maynard met with correctional officers and union officials in August, making a pledge at the time to correct the problems.
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