Tag Archives: Sheriff

Paxton gets ahead of the “sanctuary cities” lawsuit rush

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That’s one way to do it, I suppose. Attorney General Ken Paxton is looking to get ahead of an anticipated barrage of legal challenges to Texas’ ban on “sanctuary cities,” which takes effect Sept. 1. Shortly after Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

When will the lawsuits against the “sanctuary cities” bill begin to be filed?

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Soon. The question isn’t whether or not the Texas attorney general’s office will be hauled to court over a Texas Senate bill to ban “sanctuary” policies in Texas — but, more likely, when they’ll be asked to defend Senate bill … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Dallas county elections

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

One more look at Dallas County, this time with the county-level judicial races. I like to use these partly because they’re a pretty good proxy for partisan preference, and partly because they provide a straight up two-party comparison, which is … Continue reading →

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Alternate funding sources

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That’s one way to do it. State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, announced plans Friday to raise public funds for Travis County, days after Gov. Greg Abbott canceled about $1.5 million in criminal justice grants over the county’s new “sanctuary” policy. … Continue reading →

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Abbott pulls state grant money to Travis County

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

As threatened. Gov. Greg Abbott has followed through on his threat to cut off state funding for Travis County over its new “sanctuary” policy. Abbott’s office said Wednesday it has canceled criminal justice grants it usually administers to the county, … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Sheriff Hernandez not backing down

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good for her. Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez indicated Thursday she is not backing away from her recently introduced “sanctuary” policy. Her comments came a day after Gov. Greg Abbott proposed the removal of Hernandez, who announced Friday she would … Continue reading →

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Abbott goes authoritarian

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this shouldn’t surprise me, but it is still shocking, even in the world we now inhabit. Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that he and state lawmakers will pursue legislation that would “remove from office any officeholder who promotes … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

Abbott versus Travis County

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This could get ugly. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is formally demanding that Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez reverse her new policy on cooperation with federal immigration authorities or lose state dollars, further escalating a showdown over “sanctuary cities” that have … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Zena Stephens

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations to Texas’ first black female Sheriff. While history was being made with the election of Donald Trump as president, Zena Stephens was making a little of her own in Southeast Texas by becoming the state’s first black female sheriff. … Continue reading →

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Races I’ll be watching today, non-Legislative edition

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is my companion to yesterday’s piece. 1. SBOE district 5 I’ve discussed the SBOE races before. This particular race, between incumbent Ken Mercer and repeat challenger Rebecca Bell-Metereau, is the one that has the closest spread based on past … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Interview with Jon Harris

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It is time to start the fall 2016 interview season. I don’t plan to do a whole lot of these – in particular, I don’t plan to revisit races that I had covered during primary season – but I do … Continue reading →

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Legislation to ban the jailing of rape victims proposed

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to argue with, I must say. The controversial jailing of a rape victim to ensure her testimony could lead to a new state law protecting victims’ rights to an appointed attorney. State Sen. Joan Huffman is joining with Harris … Continue reading →

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The Sheriff and Lord High Executioner of Edwards County

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

In case you haven’t already, you really need to read this: The first thing she noticed was Sheriff Pamela Elliott standing across the street. It was an August evening in 2014, and Rachel Gallegos had just gotten home for a … Continue reading →

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We haven’t heard the last of TMF

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

He’ll be back. State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer says he laments nothing about a failed gambit for the state Senate that will end his 16-year stint with the Texas Legislature. The boisterous San Antonio Democrat, however, is leaving office at … Continue reading →

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Three panels investigating Sandra Bland’s death

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

One was appointed by the Sheriff: In the wake of the controversial arrest of Sandra Bland and her jailhouse suicide, Waller County Sheriff R. Glenn Smith has asked for an independent panel of civilians to evaluate all aspects of the … Continue reading →

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What happened to Sandra Bland?

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is horrible. There are big questions about the final hours of Sandra Bland’s life. The official story is that the 28-year old committed suicide by hanging herself in a Waller County jail cell. Her family doesn’t buy it. Bland, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Law enforcement for same sex marriage

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Bravo, y’all. The Democratic sheriffs of Texas’ two most populous counties have signed on with more than 60 other Texas law enforcement officials and first responders saying the state’s ban on same sex marriage not only disrespects but endangers front-line … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Third parties revisited

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Politico has a question. Is Austin’s Travis County the nation’s Libertarian Party stronghold? The co-founders of a Libertarian political action committee based there make that case, arguing that the Texas locale is the “most Libertarian large county in America.” Wes … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Alan Rosen: A Call To Protect Our Children

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. Every day, the internet opens up new doors for communication, commerce, and the betterment of all our lives. But, with great … Continue reading →

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Races I’ll be watching for tonight

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As noted this morning, I will be participating in a live chat tonight beginning at 7 PM at the Chron election blog. I hope you’ll come by and ask some questions about what happened today. There are many races to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Better budget news

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For the city. The city of Houston may have $21 million more in income in the coming fiscal year than it had planned on before Wednesday. That’s when it got the news that the Harris County Appraisal District projects that … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Non-filers in Harris County races

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As of today, the following candidates for county offices in Harris County have not filed campaign finance reports with the County Clerk: Candidates for Sheriff Charles Massey El (D) Guy Clark (R, formerly D) Daniel Lemkuil (R) Candidates for HCDE … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fewer inmate deaths

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

More good news for the Sheriff’s office. The number of inmates who have died while in Harris County detention has plummeted during the last three years, a decline that Sheriff Adrian Garcia described as “deeply satisfying” but could not explain. … Continue reading →

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Inmate outsourcing on the way out

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is unequivocally good news. Dropping inmate numbers at the Harris County Jail will let the county end its nearly 5-year-old practice of shipping overflow inmates to Louisiana and other Texas counties within days, Sheriff Adrian Garcia said this week. … Continue reading →

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Disciplining deputies

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a long story about the disciplinary issues at the Sheriff’s Department. A Houston Chronicle review of Sheriff’s Office discipline reports from 2007 to August provides a sobering look into a department plagued by deputies, jailers and civilians … Continue reading →

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Still cleaning up Tommy Thomas’ mess

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Some stains take a long time to scrub out. The U.S. Justice Department is proceeding with an investigation of Harris County sheriff’s operations, after county leaders refused to enter into a civil rights settlement with the government or hire an … Continue reading →

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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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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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Why aren’t we tracking this?

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds like a job for the Legislature. The number of parolees being tracked with ankle monitors in Texas has mushroomed to nearly 3,000 in the last two years. About 600 reside in Harris County. The county also has 150 … 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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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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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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