BY THE NUMBERS: WHAT'S WRONG AT SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT?

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Let me point out the problems with Eric Garza's administration. 

1.You have Rick Cornejo who has absolutely NO...and I mean NO business getting involved with jail matters and making decisions about jail matters. 

2. Eric got rid of Commander Leal, Jorge Hernandez, Joe Elizardi, Sam Sanchez, and Delgado. Although, Delgado was not as experienced as the rest of this bunch, he was trying and he was slowly making progress. 

3. Eric hires Luis Mendieta who has no real jail administrative experience. Mendieta worked in the jail for a short time before he was hired as a deputy. that does not qualify him to run the jail facility. 

4. Eric has serious issues with staffing. WHY?? Because he keeps going public with it because he has no clue on how to run a jail facility. The U.S. Marshals will not bring back the federal inmates because the jail is unsafe. Why is it unsafe? Because Eric has pushed out all the experienced personnel that knew how to run both facilities and has hired his compadres and comadres to run the Sheriff's department. 

5. Good people leave the Sheriff Department because Eric has his cheerleading crew that he hired by disposing of 5 jail positions and turning jailer positions to fund the hiring of his cheerleading crew. The cheerleaders are the same girls that gave thousands of dollars to Eric when he was campaigning. This was nothing but money laundering Eric did to clean up dirty money and used his cheerleaders names for the finance reports and then promised him jobs in which he did ended up hiring them. 

6. People leave because his cheerleaders are getting paid more than the deputies. The Cheerleaders are driving unmarked vehicles that are supposed to be used for law enforcement officers. The Cheerleaders and the head Cheerleader Rick Cornejo clock in and out from their phones and are cheating the time clock. They also depleted the Stone Garden overtime fund and milked those funds for their pockets. Bad administration decisions, short staff, lack of real supervisors is why people are killing themselves and dying in the jail cells. 

The jailers are tired, overworked, underpaid and most importantly UPSET that they work 12 hour shifts and the Cheerleaders and a few jailers that hang out with Eric Garza at the main office that are Eric's new hires work 8 hour shifts and drive police cars. 

There will be more deaths and nothing is going to be done about it. The county will keep getting sued because of poor leadership at the Sheriff Department and because of those thing I just mentioned.

Aside from all of that........Jorge Hernandez...was not fired he quit and regardless he was probably the first one (ON ERIC'S BLACKLIST OF RETALIATION FOR OMAR LUCIOS ADIMINISTRATION) There was a safety net system for all mental health clients while he was in charge. 

Upon intake they were screened and jail staff informed medical if there was concerns and they were then seen my the Mental Health Counselor. Those that reported drug use were monitored on a daily basis for 10-14 days to make sure there was no withdrawals. 

Whoever is there has no idea how to run the jail. They do know how to go to the commissioners court to ask for PICKUP TRUCKS to patrol the streets. 

The other problem is that Tropical Texas stopped seeing inmates. The infirmary does not have the support they need to offer mental health services to inmates especially when they have over 1,000 to take care of. It is so unfortunate that all of this is happening and all because prior to 01/01/2021 Eric Garza and his followers met to formulate their blacklist of those that he was going to fire just for being part of Omar Lucio's Administration. 

I know that I was on that list and I am okay with it because exactly on 01/01/2021 (I was out on Covid leave and still not cleared) they called to give me ridiculous orders that I was not going to follow especially from individual's that don't even come close to the level of education that I have (not even Eric does). 

Anyone can get a peace officer license (even I can but I am not interested). It doesn't take much to go through the Academy but what you really need and will not get in the Academy is EXPERIENCE. EXPERIENCE DOES MATTER especially when you are going to not only run a Sheriff's Department but a jail. 

A jail that is in charge of over 1,000 lives and YES they are in custody for breaking the law but it still is a pre-trial facility and they are all innocent until proven guilty.