Jailhouse mama
What happens in Vegas definitely does not stay there on the new series “Las Vegas Jailhouse.”
As any episode of the TruTV show will attest, the city’s never short on prostitutes, They file in, handcuffed, to the metropolitan police department, where, often, they are booked and processed by baby-faced Corrections Officer Nicole Sittré, 30.
The women are a fright. Bedraggled, careworn, and sometimes pregnant, they present a despairing portrait of women gone wild — and broke, willing to ply their trade for as little as five bucks a trick. Sittré, who has been in her job for six years, handles them with a maturity that belies her years, defusing their anger and easing their humiliation as she leads them through the booking process, which starts with the switching of handcuffs for belly restraints, and can end with an overnight stay.
Before starting a four-day weekend, Sittré spoke to the Post and the rigors of her job, and why she takes great satisfaction in what she does.
Q: What’s the difference between being a regular cop and a corrections officer?
A: I work on a much more on a personal basis with the inmates. My job is de-escalating situations, dealing with aggressive moves, Pat searches, for security reasons. I don’t leave the building as much. they come in to me.
Q. How long does processing take?
A. Two or three hours before the [arrested person] gets to a cell.
Q. You show a lot of compassion to the prostitutes, especially the woman in the first episode who was pregnant.
A. How does your heart not go out to the children? I try to focus on accountability and responsibility.
Q. Did you receive special training to deal with them?
A. We have crisis intervention training. That’s just from my experience and I know what works with different people My role is to de-escalate any situation and do what works for me. It’s overwhelming how many prostitutes there are out there. A lot of them know me. They know the process. They want to get out of there and get back to work. So they know how I work.
Q. Have any of the prostitutes you’ve arrested ever cleaned up their acts?
A. I wouldn’t know because if I never see them again, that’s a good thing, to me. I have some who say, “I haven’t been here for a couple of years,” and that’s a big deal to them.
Q, How long is your shift?
A. Twelve hours.
Q. Are you married?
A. No comment.
Q. Do you have children?
A. No comment.
Q. How do you deal with job stress.
A. On my days off, I’m into outdoor sports as far as stress goes.
Q. Do you like law enforcement?
A. Absolutely. I’m here for another 20 years. I take great satisfaction in what I do. You wouldn’t think that my job would be rewarding due to all the negativity I encounter on a daily basis. However, if I can help or redirect that one individual then that’s where I find it rewarding. Also I love the fact that my job is exciting. No two days are the same and I am still surprised by what I encounter.
* Las Vegas Jailhouse Sunday, 10 p.m., Tru TV
ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2JlfnF7j2tmamxfn66quMeorKydXaKurq2O