Tag Archives: Adrian Garcia

There’s an app for reporting crimes

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron’s Newswatch blog: The Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Adrian Garcia has launched a series of free smartphone apps that will allow residents to report any crime tips or suspicious activities by sending text messages, emails, photos … Continue reading →

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A better way for law enforcement to deal with the mentally ill

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Three Harris County Sheriff’s deputies will have new partners riding shotgun soon, if county officials approve a pilot program pairing them with mental health workers to deal with mentally disturbed suspects. Sheriff Adrian Garcia said he wants to treat … Continue reading →

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More ankle monitors

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County will try using ankle monitors on some inmates as a way of reducing the jail population. The program, approved unanimously by Commissioners Court last week, is the county’s latest stab at thinning the jail population. As of Wednesday, … Continue reading →

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County hires jailers to save money

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County Commissioners Court has finally admitted that having an adequate number of jailers is more cost-effective than paying for scads of overtime. Just as Sheriff Garcia has been saying all along. Sheriff Adrian Garcia’s payroll was a contentious issue … Continue reading →

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Suit against Sheriff’s office dismissed

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron: A lawsuit filed by the former technology director for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, who had contended he was fired because he revealed its alleged plan to hack into the county government computer network, has been dismissed. … Continue reading →

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Still talking about jail overcrowding

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s another op-ed about jail overcrowding in Harris County and what to do about it. It’s all familiar stuff – we’ve only been talking about this for a million years or so – but I was struck by what wasn’t … Continue reading →

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The mental health catastrophe is coming

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s yet another story about the forthcoming disaster in mental health care that is about to be perpetuated by the Legislature. It starts with one of the best analogies I’ve seen: Dr. Steven B. Schnee, executive director of the Mental … Continue reading →

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Jail privatization

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Does anyone really think that privatizing the Harris County Jail would be a good idea? The suggestion comes from Commissioner Steve Radack, who said the item is a way for the county to examine all ways of cutting costs as … Continue reading →

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Don’t claim endorsements you don’t have

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like that lesson needs to be re-learned every cycle. We already have two examples of it this cycle. Here’s example one: City Council candidate Eric Dick apologized for advertising an upcoming fund-raiser by sending out a mailer featuring a … Continue reading →

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Budget testimony from the Sheriff’s office

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to all of the education and HHSC-related testimony before the Senate Finance Committee this week, law enforcement agencies who will be affected by cuts to mental health services were also heard from. Here’s a press release sent out … Continue reading →

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Harris County braces for state budget cuts

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More joy to look forward to. Proposed state budget cuts could cost Harris County government nearly $50 million a year, according to a legislative analyst’s rough estimates, rolling back or eliminating state allowances for dozens of programs that include mental … Continue reading →

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Cuts here mean hikes there

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The only problem with this AP story is the headline, “Texas budget cuts may shift burden to locals”. There’s no “may” about it – the Pitts budget would absolutely shift a huge burden to local governments. Cuts set off a … Continue reading →

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Ankle monitors

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Also on the Commissioners Court agenda this week, Harris County will take another small step towards reducing its jail population by experimenting with ankle monitors for low-risk inmates. Commissioners Court granted Sheriff Adrian Garcia permission Tuesday to do a trial … Continue reading →

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On county jails and treating mental illness

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s really only one thing that needs to be said about this op-ed, which was co-written by Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia and HPD Chief Charles McClelland. Texas ranks 49th in the nation in per capita spending on mental health … Continue reading →

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Loren Jackson signs on with Sheriff’s office

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Great news. District Clerk Loren Jackson, who was defeated by Republican Chris Daniel last month, will likely stay in county government when his term expires on Dec. 31. Sheriff Adrian Garcia proposes hiring him as his chief of information technology. … Continue reading →

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State cuts will equal local costs

Posted on December 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Grits is absolutely right: Cuts to state mental hospitals would be a massive unfunded mandate for county jails. [S]heriffs across Texas are increasingly frustrated and worried about the ever-decreasing amount of bed space available at state mental hospitals. Too often, … Continue reading →

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The cost of jailing parole violators

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We sure do spend a lot of money putting people in jail that don’t really need to be there. Each month, an average of 2,286 state parole violators are housed in Texas jails, a policy costing taxpayers at least $42 … Continue reading →

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It’s getting cheaper to outsource inmates

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Now how much would you pay to ship your excess inmates somewhere else? The county now can send an inmate to Louisiana for as low as $23 a day. Changes to the deal with the private Emerald Correctional Management also … Continue reading →

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How much would you pay for those inmates?

Posted on November 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County has a new plan for dealing with its overflow jail population. Under the new plan, the county’s purchasing agent would ask for all interested bidders to submit their lowest prices for taking inmates, much like it does for … Continue reading →

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If you’re looking for a focal point

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Democrats will have no shortage of opportunities to play offense in 2012, but if you want to get a head start on that, I have a suggestion. Here’s a bit from this story about Commissioner Sylvia Garcia’s electoral defeat to … Continue reading →

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Hey, big secret spender

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I know you’re as shocked as I am to learn that there are unknown entities spending large quantities of money in this election. Campaign finance watchdogs say the tactic conceals important information about who is backing a political cause, but … Continue reading →

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The county’s budget woes

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t look now, but Harris County is running really low on cash. The $154 million reserve fund Harris County started its fiscal year with is expected to be nearly gone by March as it gets spent to cover shortfalls in … Continue reading →

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Grits visits the Harris County jail

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a thoughtful post by Scott Henson on his visit to the Harris County jail and the proposed booking center, which was touted as a gateway primarily for arrestees with mental health issues. While acknowledging the need for more resources … Continue reading →

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Eversole and Radack get jail overcrowding religion

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Actually, what County Commissioners Jerry Eversole and Steve Radack have is a case of criticize-the-Sheriff-itis. Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole implied at meeting earlier today that the county’s sheriff, Adrian Garcia, acted improperly and wasted tax payer money when he … Continue reading →

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More on the proposed booking center

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

On the Houston Politics blog, Chris Moran follows up on his reporting about the new “booking center” proposal with information about how it may play out in Commissioners Court. The city of Houston has designated $31 million to help fund … Continue reading →

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New “booking center” proposed

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, Sheriff Garcia has been trying to rework the jail bond referendum that failed in 2007 into something that can be passed. On Tuesday, Commissioners Court will have a look at the new proposal, which calls for a … Continue reading →

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The 287(g) committee

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Sheriff Adrian Garcia has formed a citizens advisory panel on how to screen for undocumented immigrants in the jails. The advisory committee will not debate whether to continue the screening program, Garcia said. It will suggest ways he can improve … Continue reading →

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Jail passes another state inspection

Posted on May 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good news for the Harris County jails: They passed another surprise state inspection by a Texas Commission on Jail Standards team last week. “This certificate of compliance is a direct result of your department’s commitment to excellence and further attests, … Continue reading →

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Solving the jail overcrowding problem is everybody’s responsibility

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Putting it another way, we need to be choosier about whom we arrest. The Houston Police Department stopped arresting people for minor traffic violations late Thursday, hours after Sheriff Adrian Garcia told the city to slow down the flow of … Continue reading →

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Fixing overtime

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Sunday Chron had a cover story about overtime expenses in the Sheriff’s department. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office spent $32.6 million on overtime in Sheriff Adrian Garcia’s first year as the county’s top lawman, $22.6 million of it at … Continue reading →

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First steps in dealing with jail overcrowding

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

They’re baby steps, but they’re in the right direction. The first of 20 county inmates to get their sentences reduced by two-thirds for completing job training will get out of jail Monday. The experiment marks Sheriff Adrian Garcia’s first tentative … Continue reading →

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A county budget threefer

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Three items of interest in the news that relate to the Harris County budget. – Contemplating cremation Commissioners Court this morning discussed possibly changing to a cremate-first policy at Harris County’s public cemetery. A report from the cemetery director projects … Continue reading →

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The county budget blues

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The news keeps being bad. Not unexpected, but bad. During hearings last month, department heads said worst-case scenarios could mean layoffs, less mosquito spraying, tax office closures and fewer resources to serve a still-growing county population. County Auditor Barbara Schott’s … Continue reading →

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The Sheriff versus the deputies

Posted on January 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I continue to be surprised at how antagonistic this relationship has been. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia on Friday released a long-promised “Bill of Rights” for deputies under investigation by the department, but three deputies’ unions criticized the sheriff for … Continue reading →

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