RALEIGH, N.C. – From looking at new ways to stop contraband, to disciplinary sanctions for prisoners who assault staff, DPS says their biggest challenge when facing reform is adequate staffing.

Last year, five prison employees were killed on the job in North Carolina. 

In 2018, DPS has hired about 1,600 new officers but say their issue is as much about retention as it is recruitment.

They say this is their third fiscal year where their vacancy rate has remained around 16%. 

“We have to reduce our vacancy rate of correction officers in our prisons. That has to happen and that's all of us involved in this. And I do not believe that we’re going to hire our way out of this,” says Gary Mohr, Senior Executive Advisor of NC DPS.

But some improvements are in place, including the purchase of new radios, batons, and pepper spray for all certified staff.

For staff without radios, 4,100 whistles were given out. 

Four facilities are piloting Tasers for supervisors only.

There will also be 13,000 stab resistant vets for employees.

Nearly 900 cameras have been added since April 2017 and DPS says they've received enough funding to install 3,000 more.

One of their newest pilot programs is giving "man-down" body alarms to staff at 3 facilities. 

DPS says it's been difficult to implement this program at decades old facilities. 

“The system design and the placement of hundreds of sensors that will ultimately detect and locate staff who may be in distress is very labor intensive and it is complicated by the fact that we are doing it in an operating prison,” says Tracy Little.

The department is also conduction unannounced security assessments at different facilities. 

So far they've done nine and hope to audit a total of 20 by the end of the year.

Director of Prisons Kenneth Lassiter says the audits have found some deficiencies in policies which are being address with police revisions.

"They're finding some facilities haven't caught up with the new policies being written yet and therefore they're giving them the tools, they're not doing an audit to say I've got you, they're giving them the tools to correct anything they may find."