Corrections officials outraged by jail performance

LAS VEGAS - A performance by rapper and actor Ice-T at the Southern Desert Correctional Center has outraged some Nevada corrections officials.

The rapper was the subject of intense criticism in the 1990s over his band Body Count's song ''Cop Killer,'' which many said condoned violence against police officers.

The concert took place Sunday in the gym of the prison in Indian Springs. The medium security prison houses more than 1,500 inmates from Southern Nevada.

Ice-T did not perform the ''Cop Killer'' song at the prison.

''It was a free show and he did donate his time,'' said Howard Skolnik, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Prisons.

However, whoever organized the concert apparently did not go through the proper channels within the Department of Prisons to gain approval, Skolnik said. State officials are investigating to see if anyone should be disciplined regarding the concert.

Ed Flagg, president of the Nevada Corrections Association, described the concert as ''ridiculous.''

''I think it shows a complete lack of respect for the officers who work in the prisons on a daily basis with these inmates,'' Flagg said.

A spokeswoman for Ice-T did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Ice-T's rap albums delve into urban black life, the gang culture and social criticism. It was the Body Count song ''Cop Killer,'' however, that has generated the most attention for Ice-T, whose real name is Tracy Morrow. The lyrics infuriated police organizations throughout the country in 1992, and even prompted then-President George Bush to lash out against Ice-T.