Special to El Rrun-Rrun
A day after inspectors from the Texas Commission On Jail Standards had visited the Cameron County Correctional facilities, word has filtered down that the county's lockup had failed to meet some requirements for housing inmates.
Although there are no specific details on what requirements were not met, Sheriff Omar Lucio, the official in charge of the jail, has 30 days to correct the deficiencies, according to COJS rules. County officials have been unavailable for comment this weekend.
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The jail has always been a source of problems for Cameron County sheriffs dating back decades. The problems were highlighted under former sheriff Conrado Cantu, who took over as sheriff when the new facilities were built at Rucker-Carrizales, in Olmito.
In one case, an inmate used a plastic spoon to break out of his cell and try to work his way to the roof to effect an escape. He was apprehended in the roof of the jail.
In fact, one of Cantu's misdeeds before he left office in disgrace was that he had asked the correction guards at a mandatory meeting at the center to campaign door-to-door in San Benito in his reelection bid.
The Lucio administration has been no different, and there have been several incidents of inmates dying in custody which has cost the county millions in dollars. In a recent case, an inmate overpowered a guard, taking his gun, and then made his escape by killing a man in front of his family before making off with his car in Brownsville. That inmate was killed by police in San Benito.
"The jails have always been a source of problems for the sheriffs," said a former corrections guard. "They are under strict COJS guidelines for the inmates' and guards' safety and that of the general community."
This week's alleged noncompliance comes as Lucio faces a challenge in the March 20, 2020 Democratic Primary from former Cameron County District Clerk Eric Garza, who has aired television ads picturing Lucio as a representative of the old regime and promises a new approach to the department's management.
El Rrun-Rrun has filed an information request to obtain copies of the COJS report.
A day after inspectors from the Texas Commission On Jail Standards had visited the Cameron County Correctional facilities, word has filtered down that the county's lockup had failed to meet some requirements for housing inmates.
Although there are no specific details on what requirements were not met, Sheriff Omar Lucio, the official in charge of the jail, has 30 days to correct the deficiencies, according to COJS rules. County officials have been unavailable for comment this weekend.
The jail has always been a source of problems for Cameron County sheriffs dating back decades. The problems were highlighted under former sheriff Conrado Cantu, who took over as sheriff when the new facilities were built at Rucker-Carrizales, in Olmito.
In one case, an inmate used a plastic spoon to break out of his cell and try to work his way to the roof to effect an escape. He was apprehended in the roof of the jail.
In fact, one of Cantu's misdeeds before he left office in disgrace was that he had asked the correction guards at a mandatory meeting at the center to campaign door-to-door in San Benito in his reelection bid.
The Lucio administration has been no different, and there have been several incidents of inmates dying in custody which has cost the county millions in dollars. In a recent case, an inmate overpowered a guard, taking his gun, and then made his escape by killing a man in front of his family before making off with his car in Brownsville. That inmate was killed by police in San Benito.
"The jails have always been a source of problems for the sheriffs," said a former corrections guard. "They are under strict COJS guidelines for the inmates' and guards' safety and that of the general community."
This week's alleged noncompliance comes as Lucio faces a challenge in the March 20, 2020 Democratic Primary from former Cameron County District Clerk Eric Garza, who has aired television ads picturing Lucio as a representative of the old regime and promises a new approach to the department's management.
El Rrun-Rrun has filed an information request to obtain copies of the COJS report.