STATEMENT FROM DSABC PRESIDENT JEREMY PAYNE
San Antonio, TX — “Yesterday, the Sheriff and the Commissioners agreed to allow their individually-selected consultants to review the Bexar County Adult Detention Center. Having demanded an independent evaluation for the past 11 months, I’m cautiously optimistic. The DSABC calls for a transparent process from both consultants to address issues of understaffing and incessant overtime. Despite the drastic increase in the inmate population, from fewer than 3,000 in May 2020 to 4,400 today, 315 detention vacancies remain to be filled by deputies causing Bexar County to log 22,100 hours of overtime in September alone. No truly objective evaluation of the BCAD can ignore the impact of these issues on deputy morale and the danger they pose to both inmates’ and deputies’ lives.
“I also want to emphasize DSABC’s position that Bexar County deserves a justice system owned and operated by the people of Bexar County and in the common interest of the people of Bexar County. I therefore affirm our organization’s unyielding opposition to any plans – explicit or implicit – to privatize the jail.”
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