Tag Archives: Sheriff

Grits on the jail czar

When I blogged about the creation of a “jail czar” position in Harris County whose job it will be to deal with overcrowding in the local jails, I said hoped that Scott Henson would comment on it. He did leave … Continue reading

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The jail czar

I think the whole “czar” thing is overdone, but if it takes hiring a person whose only job it is to focus on jail overcrowding to get something done in a real and lasting way about it, then so be … Continue reading

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Garcia’s agenda

Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia lays out his agenda on the op-ed pages. This is an opportunity for me to work with every stakeholder in the Harris County justice system — including, first of all, you — to make sure … Continue reading

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Feds’ report on Harris County jails

Still a lot of people dying in the jails here, at least as of the last federal inspection. Their experiences are detailed in a U.S. Department of Justice report, completed last week and obtained Monday by the Houston Chronicle, which … Continue reading

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Still talking about a new jail

We’re going to be having this conversation for awhile, I expect. As he attempts to secure a new jail for Harris County, Sheriff Adrian Garcia has hired nearly 90 more guards but still faces skepticism from commissioners about whether a … Continue reading

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Roy’s self-inflation

This is not the kind of story candidates like to see written about themselves. Houston mayoral candidate Roy Morales told a group of voters in March, “I manage the Head Start program.” The claim by the retired Air Force lieutenant … Continue reading Continue reading

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Hey, remember when we were gonna reform county ethics?

How’s that been going? Efforts to clean up Harris County government appear to be on indefinite hold as any serious debate about ethics reform has been derailed for months by infighting and political gamesmanship. Commissioners Court has yet to act … Continue reading

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Two immigration stories

Governor Perry writes a letter to the Department of Homeland Security. Perry asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano this week to take a series of steps to improve information-sharing between federal, state and local law enforcement. The Homeland Security-related issues … Continue reading

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Harris County tackles jail overcrowding

Well, what do you know? Harris County’s burgeoning jail population is expected to swell to 12,600 this spring, prompting newly elected officials to take a fresh look at ways to alleviate overcrowding, including releasing low-risk offenders. The new sheriff, district … Continue reading

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