associate editor of Breitbart,
Texas. Let's begin. More than
6000 inmate on inmate assaults
this year alone nearly 1000
attacks on detention officers,
many resulting in serious
fatal overdoses and prisoners,
igniting fires on a daily
basis. Deeply undermanned jail
staff bombarded with urine and
feces by prisoners, detention
officers routinely forced to
work 16 hour ships with little
backup and left far too often
with no choice but to relieve
worse. Jail doors that won't
lock prisoners roaming free
detention officers working
alone, choked, beaten and
bitten mental health patients
mixed in with the general
population and potentially most
the accusation that records are
routinely fabricated to meet
minimum staffing standards set
by the state. Literally scores
personnel have offered
information that indicates that
there's a complete deliberate
indifference to whatever
happens to the safety of our
employees. They don't care.
We've had employees reach out
to our attorneys. Who have been
assaulted by these prisoners.
And they thought about
committing suicide. Panel as
you all know, the Harris County
Deputies organization has filed
a class action lawsuit alleging
decades of neglect and
requesting a federal takeover
of the jail. Charles Blaine.
I'm going to start with you.
What do you make of all of
this? Yeah This reflects
terribly on our county. I mean,
the Texas Commission on jail.
Sanders routinely raids are
jail very low, and this is a
long time issue. When I moved
here seven years ago I remember
a local paper was doing a
series of stories on how bad it
is in the jail. I mean you have
to constantly overworked and
underpaid staff. Some of these
guys from what I'm here we're
doing 3 16 hour shifts. And as
you mentioned, you know, not
able to take bathroom breaks
and all this other seven meats
an absolutely terrible
condition, And they're working
with a population with a lot of
the. It's who have mental
ailments. And so it's a very
task, you know, tasking job.
And they're there for a long
time. Underpaid overworked they
even county needs to really
step up and increased funding
and support. I mean, at this
happened for administration
after administration. It
doesn't seem as though they are
going to do the work, so maybe
it is time for the federal
government to come in and take
over. Bill King if even half of
the allegations are true, it's
Harris County in trouble. I
mean, could we actually have a
federal takeover or at least an
injunction? All of half the
allegation of true I can't
imagine a federal court would
not step in under the
circumstances. You know what I
found amazing about. It was
Who's reporting deaths? And why
aren't we being told about this?
I mean, why isn't she gone down
and visited the jail? I mean,
she's the CEO of the county.
Why wouldn't you be out there
doing that, because she's too
busy campaigning on national
issues going to Austin and
talking about Bowling bill and
all this other stuff. The
problem with these local
offices. They're basically
administrative offices, and
these people don't want to do
the administrative work. They
want to be. Politicians talk
about national partisan issues
that's what she and the other
commissioners need to start
doing. To level the deputies
organization says they need 500.
More deputies detention
officers in that jail to have.
An environment that is safe now
this cross is, you know,
partisan lines. The Republicans
have been in charge of Harris
County or have the majority on
commissioner's Court for years.
This this problem spans.
Multiple decades. What's your
take? Part Uh, well, First of
all, they have $11 million
that, thankfully, was cancelled
that they could use as a step
forward back. I watched this
over many years, and I really
think it's just time for the
feds to come in and let's that
stop the charade Commissioner's
court is going to do anything
or it's a priority. It is not a
priority for them. They have an
indicated in any way that it's
a priority, so let's just go
ahead and call. For the feds to
come in. And start working
towards cleaning up the jail.
Alright Bob Price. We hear a
to keep these folks who are
repeat offenders in jail,
particularly if we think
they're going to go and re
offend. You can't put them into
jail like this. If any of this
is true, your thoughts. Well
the report coming out from the
sheriff's deputies organization
is very horrific, but it's not
been talking to sheriff's all
across the state that are
having problems getting enough
jailers to come to work. The
combination of the threat of
COVID and the jails the amount
of money that they can make
from the federal government to
sit home and stay. Fortunately
that problem been going away
recently. But all of that
contributes to this lack of
manpower inside these jails,
the thought of the federal
government coming in here and
taking this over. I haven't
seen the federal government
bank anything better,
especially under this
think that's a good idea. But
maybe the state Senator John
Whitmire is very upset about
this. Maybe the state can
provide some insight into how
to take this over and get it
working properly. Clearly this
is a blemish on on this on the.
Resume of Sheriff Gonzalez and
it's uh, very, very bad
situation for these jailors.
It's a bad situation for the
inmates. It's a bad situation
for Harris County taxpayers.
All right tomorrow. Bell Ed
Gonzalez was talking to
commissioner's court last week.
Kind of telegraphed. Uh many of
the concerns in this lawsuit
you've been here. Much of your
life and this jail has been a
problem much of your life who's
going to fix it? Well I tell
you what you all mentioned you.
Bob was the first one to
mention egg Gonzalez. One thing
about the way to county has
always worked up until this
last administration. Everybody
went in checked if you were
doing something, precinct one
Precinct to that question it
precinct three didn't question
they didn't question so
whatever the sheriff was doing
it to jail If somebody didn't
end up dead or something people
didn't know about it. Yeah He
came up there last week. Where
has he been? He should have
been up there pleading with
they removed from him to come
up with this fake ass contract
that they came up with. They
need to give that back, but I
think they really need new
leadership. What? I have heard
you don't want to get stopped
over and don't have your your
license with you or your
insurance and get. Put in there
because that is literally you
get the death sentence for
missing a band aid. This is
really, really out of control
and when people can't come to
work. To keep us safe because
they're scared. They're not
safe on their job. Hell,
Houston, we got a problem. All
right, Charles Blaine. We've
got a former sheriff on
commissioner's court. We have
two Republicans on
commissioner's court. Is it
their responsibility as well as
the Democrats like Ellis and
model go to fix this situation
to get money into the jail? Of
course, Of course. I mean, it's
a shared responsibility but I
mean, I think you mentioned it
with the former sheriff who a
lot of these issues happened
when he was there as well may
not want to go and open this
Pandora's box and then have
people question what happened
you have commissioners who are
of the same party who fixing
and funding more issues within
the jail doesn't necessarily
align with the platform and the
policies that they've been
pushing and so, particularly
ahead of a primary election for
two of those, you know, I don't
think there. Gonna want to put
this focus on the jail as in
more funding for the jail
because that's not going to
play well with the very vocal
aspect of their base. So I
don't see a solution coming
just the administration. I
would advise commissioners
before you lose control of your
jail to the federal government
and the federal court. You need
to act. That's Houston's John
Whitmire, longtime chairman of
the Senate Criminal Justice
Committee. And let me assure
you, there are few, if any
lawmakers in the country who
can match his depth of
experience and knowledge on the
subject of incarceration panel
the guidance I hear for
commissioners from Whitmire is
quote you better start shelling
out some millions, or you can
easily be on the hook for a
great deal More. Bill King. I'm
of what Witmeyer had to say.
Well you know, criminal justice
is probably would mire
strongest suit. He's been
chairman of that committee for
a long time and knows this
subject intimately and did a
lot of work on reforming the
state prison system. So I think
the commissioner's court would
be well to take his advice on
this issue. Um look, this is
gonna this is what you pay me
now. You pay me later, either
they're going to take care of
this problem and funded
properly are the feds are going
to come in? And you know, like
the Fed's involvement is sort
of a last resort. It's never
efficient way to solve these
problems is going to create a
lot of collateral problems. But
done. You just can't keep going
like we're going right now. So
they would march right up to,
you know, step up and take care
of it are separate consequences
of federal take up. All right,
Bob, What's your take? Well I
agree with bill that the
senator is certainly probably
one of the most qualified
people in the state to discuss
this particular issue. Uh the
jail system. This is the
largest jail in the state of
Texas, one of the largest jails
in the country. The scale of
the problems here are immense.
massive effort by the by the
commissioner's court by the
sheriff's office to get this
under control. Get enough
jailers in there that they can
do their job. Without all the
overtime costs without the
dangers not only to the jailers,
but to the inmates as well, Uh,
you know to tomorrow's point,
you know, you get put in there
for some minor class B
misdemeanor or something. And
have to spend a night or a
weekend in that jail before you
can get at you could you could
die from that, and that's going
litigation. A lot of liability
for the county a lot of
liability for the taxpayers.
Yeah, Tomorrow. Bob makes a
good point there. I mean, uh,
community who have family
members with mental health
issues that end up going to the
Harris County jail. There are
hundreds, you know, Do we need
to fix this problem and make
the investment that's
necessary? And not only do we
need to fix it. We need to fix
it Now. I don't need to study.
You ain't got to hire your
friends and being consultant.
It's a common sense one. You
need to fix it, because when I
tell you that layers of
problems that they have in
there, they have a racism
problem there. They have a
major racism problem there. The
black general is in the black
deputies who were working there
allegedly are claiming that ad.
And Adrian started reducing
them, but they say it took it
to a whole nother level and
start removing them from
positions that they've been
here for years, where they had
some control of their respect
over the people under them, and
when they got out of positions
and the new people came, it was
like I'm not listening to you.
You just got here last week.
I've been here 20 years, so it
is a multitude of problems.
That are going on over there
And, like Bob said, this, uh
big ass jail. It's not no
little jail. I mean, this is a
huge jail for a county and I
know of several individuals
I've been told. One is a socket
got knocked out of place.
neck for his shoes. For his