Texas Budget Source

June 16, 2010

Sara Talbert

Texas Budget Source

Large salaries in the Harris County’s Sheriff Department, combined with plans for financing and building a new $250 million corrections facility, have raised questions about the need for such expenditures.

More than 200 of the sheriff department’s employees made more than $100,000 a year in 2009, according to the Texas Tribune government employee salary database and confirmed by Harris County officials.

These highest paid positions range from Michael M. Seale, Executive Director of Correctional Health Services making $251,666, to a sergeant at $100,049 whose responsibilities can include patrol, detective work or jail duties.

Alan Bernstein, director of public affairs for the Harris County Sheriff’s Department, says salaries are not as high as the data indicates, because the figures include significant use of overtime.

“We have a documented triple-checked shortage of personnel. One portion of that is the jail,” said Bernstein. “Under the State Commission on Jail Standards, we have to have one person on duty for every 48 inmates. It’s mandated. We pay overtime to meet those goals because we don’t have enough people on straight time to meet them.”

Facing decreased revenue from property taxes, Harris County instituted a hiring freeze last fall. Before the hiring freeze, it was estimated the jail was short 350 employees. Bernstein says that number is even higher now because the county can’t replace civil detention officer or deputies who retire.

Bernstein said the county has been able to knock down overtime “drastically.”

“At its high point, the county was paying approximately $1.5 million in overtime for a two-week pay period,” said Bernstein. “The last two week pay period, it paid under $600,000.”

Both Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Commissioner Steve Radack agree that number needs to continue to be lowered.

Emmett says the hiring freeze is to blame and does not support it.

“We can’t continue the hiring freeze in the sheriff’s department,” said Emmett. “We need more people over there because of the jail population and we need more people on patrol.”

Emmett says he plans to address the issue in the next meeting on June 22.

Radack also says the county needs to revisit the overtime issue.

“We’re attempting to reduce as much overtime as possible. We’re looking at how we’re doing it,” said Radack, who added one way the county has reduced overtime pay is by leasing out jail space.

“We’ve been leasing jail space to help,” said Radack. “We’re trying to get a better deal for taxpayers of Harris County by using other jails.”

DISAGREEMENT: IS IT A JAIL, AND IS IT NEEDED?

A possible solution suggested by the Sheriff’s Department is a new $250 million corrections facility. The issue will be discussed at a June 22nd meeting.

Unlike the bond measure for a new $190 million jail facility that was voted down by citizens in 2007, Bernstein says this facility would not be a jail.

“The project has been refined and revived,” said Bernstein. “We don’t consider it to be a jail because it’s primary and secondary function is not to house inmates.”

Bernstein says the proposed 1,000-bed facility would be a booking and releasing center, and would conjoin efforts with the City of Houston Police Department.

Bernstein said it would also house mentally-ill inmates and females.

When asked by Texas Budget Source if then the facility was a jail, both Bernstein and Emmett said no. Commissioner Radack however said he thinks the facility would be an intake center and jail.

With the current jail understaffed, how would a new facility be staffed?

Bernstein says, if the bond measure is passed, the new facility likely would not be completed for another four years. He says by then the county would likely be in better economic standing.

“Are today’s economic conditions the same as four years ago,” questioned Bernstein. “If the county were to not plan to alleviate unsafe, crowded conditions now, because of what the economy would be doing four years from now, we’d be stupid.”

But right now, the decision to begin the bond process for the new facility rest in the hands of the Harris County commissioners – and at least one of them says he is not on board.

“Frankly we don’t need to build now because we’re leasing so much to other jails,” said Radack. “I’m not for investing in bricks and mortar right now. If Harris County went out and sold bonds, we would have to have a tax increase. There is no way we can sell that many bonds. We have a hiring freeze. We don’t have funds to borrow that amount.”

Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, says he doesn’t think a new jail facility would solve the county’s problems.

“I think it is premature to even put this on the ballot since so many viable options for reducing jail utilization that protect public safety have not been fully pursued,” said Levin.

Levin said options include electric or GPS monitoring, improving the data collection of inmates so that the county has a clearer sense of who is in jail and the trends behind the arrests, and identifying non-violent low-level offenders who would be suitable for substance abuse or mental health treatment instead of jail time.

Levin also says cooperation between the jail staff and commissioner’s court is also pivotal.

“They need to join forces and collaborate on situations,” said Levin. “There is a need for them to do a complete analysis before building another facility.”

The Harris County commissioner’s court will discuss next week whether or not to move forward with a proposal for a new facility.

What are your thoughts? Is overtime the best way for Harris County to pay for sheriff’s personnel, and should the county build a new “jail” facility? Send your thoughts to Sara Talbert at stalbert@texasbudgetsource.com.