BOISE -- Ada County Sherrif, Gary Raney says three lapses in the security system, lead to the escape of Harlan Hale.

And the Sheriff says it should never have happened.

“The first mistake that was made was the two doors, the second mistake was they removed the leg chains and the belly chains the third major factor," said Sheriff Raney.

At a press conference Monday, the sheriff described how the man charged with attempted murder and assault on an officer was able to scale razored barbed wire to become a free man.

Sheriff Raney says Hale went through a number of doors before he encounted razorded wire.

He was able to get over the wire, and up onto the roof.

From there, Raney says he jumped into a yard.

He scaled the fence and wire where he made it over.

And that was the last fence he jumped before he hit freedom.

"It is the responsibility of the Ada County Jail to keep the near 1000 inmates away from the community and we let the community down," said Sheriff Raney.

Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney says this weekend's jail break is clearly the fault of the Ada County Jail.

Four guards on duty didn't follow protocol leaving the door literally open for Harlan Hale to escape.

"Mr. Hale was able to escape from three major regions," said Sheriff Raney.

According to Raney, jail rules allowed Hale one hour of sunlight a day.

When that hour was over on Saturday afternoon, guards escorted Hale to his cell, however they didn't lock critical doors in the process.

"The thought process being that we will get him put away, we don't want to delay it anymore and then come back and lock those doors," said Sheriff Raney.

The second mistake Raney says was that guards didn't put Hale in his solitary confinement cell before removing his restraints.

The once unruly inmate had over time become compliant leaving guards to believe he wouldn't try anything.

"They removed the chains and shackles, he's able to divert their attention or soften their attention on him and move a few feet away, they were watching him, but that is against policy to allow him to move outside cell," said Sheriff Raney.

It didn't take long before Hale started to run.

He went through the two unlocked doors.

And was able to break through a third door, climb razor fence to the jail yard.

Then get over a final barbed wire fence, leaving what appeared to be blood.

Raney speculates from there he was a free man.

"Any of these three things, if any one would have worked, he would not have escape," said Sheriff Raney.

Hale is a wanted man and police say he is armed and dangerous.

Sheriff Raney says he believes Hale is with 36-year old Tracey Gonzalez.

Both on have warrants for their arrest.

They are believed to be riding in a 1992 blue Toyota Tercel.

The sheriff says there is a $5,000 dollar reward for anyone who can lead police to Hale.

Give Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney credit for his candor and for accepting responsibility after Saturday's jailbreak. But this incident also calls for an independent review. Late Tuesday afternoon, Raney said his staff was trying to reach a federal agency to request one.

Raney's No. 1 priority since the escape has been to catch Harlan Hale, the man accused of shooting at police during a Feb. 28 traffic stop on Broadway Avenue and then trying to run over officers trying to arrest him nine days later in Garden City. Hale bolted through two open jail doors Saturday, crashed through a gate with a faulty lock, ran across the jail's roof, jumped to the ground, climbed over the jail's fence, ran across the street to Intermountain Hospital, stole a car and vanished.

Raney also has started an internal investigation. He has placed four employees on paid administrative leave while the investigation proceeds.

He explained to the public Monday how Hale escaped, and acknowledged, "We let the community down."

The next step is an independent, public investigation. Raney and the public would benefit from having outside experts review the jail's physical security and human systems. The public deserves to know not only what happened, but why, and what has been or should be done to prevent a similar incident.

The escape raises questions. Among them:

• Is the jail, which houses more than 1,000 inmates, a safe enough building?

• Are procedures adequate? Could a change in a procedure for handling a high-risk inmate have added an appropriate layer of protection?

• Are jail staff members complying with procedures adequately? Raney says there was no criminal conspiracy, just complacency by at least two veteran deputies who let their guard down. Was their complacency an exception or part of a larger pattern of staff mistakes? Is boredom a problem? Is morale?

• Do deputies need more training?

• Does the jail need more staffing?

The Idaho Sheriff's Association inspects jails annually to measure their compliance with 320 standards. Executive Director Bill Lynn said the Ada County Jail is one of Idaho's best, having met every standard for years.

But those inspections and standards did not stop deputies from leaving open two doors as they escorted Hale back to his cell from a recreation pen. They did not prevent deputies from removing Hale's leg irons and handcuffs before he was securely in his cell, leaving him free to run for the doors.

"It appeared to be a severe breach in procedure by the deputies involved," Lynn said. "If they knew this individual was as high profile as he was, why did they not do everything exactly by the book? It's inexcusable to make any short cuts."

The National Institute of Corrections, an agency of the U.S. Justice Department, could lead the investigation. That's the organization Raney's staff was trying to reach Tuesday afternoon. Alan Richardson, correctional programs specialist, said earlier Tuesday that the institute offers technical support but does not regulate jails. The institute could hire a consultant at no cost to Ada County to examine the jail and review its training, procedures and operations, he said. "We focus on good, sound correctional practice," Richardson said.

An independent review would give Raney, a new sheriff, credibility by providing a standard to use in evaluating his response to the jailbreak. "I'm not afraid to hear bad news," he said. It would give the public peace of mind by pointing the way to greater safety and security.

Hale's escape raises questions about the security of the Ada County Jail. An independent review, with its findings made public, will help assure that those questions are answered properly.