Tag Archives: Harris County Sheriff

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 →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on On county jails and treating mental illness

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Grits on the CCSI

Posted on July 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Scott Henson got the same information I did about the HPD “Chronic Consumer Stabilization Initiative” pilot program, and as always his take is worth reading. In that post, he pointed to this Malcolm Gladwell article that puts this initiative into … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Grits on the CCSI

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 →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Not everybody isn’t hiring, Part Deux

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Bad economic times are good times for Texas prisons to fill their vacancies. Texas has just 1,262 correctional officer jobs now open, compared with more than 3,700 openings just over a year ago. Officials say more people have become guards … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Garcia talks recruitment again

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

New Sheriff Adrian Garcia echoes a theme he sounded at his swearing-in about hiring more deputies to increase patrols. Garcia promised to put more “boots on the ground” in his inaugural address Sunday, saying about 800 deputies now patrol an … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Sheriff Garcia asks for more recruits

Posted on January 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, Sheriff Adrian Garcia. Not Sheriff-elect any more, as he’s been officially sworn in now, and a new era is underway. Harris County needs more “boots on the ground” to arrest criminals, prevent crime and help residents of its far-flung … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , | 2 Comments