SAN ANTONIO — It's become the exact opposite of a "get out of jail free" card.
While Bexar County continues transitioning to a new computer system for its justice division, the change has also sparked complaints that glitches are keeping people from being released from jail—in some cases, for days.
People streaming out of the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday wanted their privacy protected, but they were anxious to tell their stories. One person, Sandra, was distraught after she couldn’t get her daughter, who she says is a 100% disabled veteran, out of jail.
"She's without meds and she gets suicidal," Sandra said. "I don’t want another person to get hurt in there. I came here to bond my daughter out, but they told us it's going to be a two-to-three-day wait."
Dusty said it took him days to walk out.
“It's just disgusting,” he said, calling the situation chaos. “In the holding tank, every seat was full. There was probably about 40 to 50 men sleeping on the ground."
He said he couldn't get his epilepsy medication on time.
“This is a medication that will save my life and they still wouldn't allow me (to take it). And I'm like, 'They're right there. I see them. They're right there,'” Dusty said.
A man named John brought physical copies of bond payments, hoping that would help spring his friend. But it didn't.
“People have been in there the past three days because of the new system they've implemented” John said. “If you've been sitting in a cell for three business days, that's a substantial amount of money that you're missing out on. You're not going to be able to cover the necessities of life.”
Michelle, who has been trying to free her son, called the experience very frustrating.
“You can lose your job. You can lose your car," she said. "You can lose your home."
'Not something we're trying to cause'
KENS 5 asked the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office for a head count at the jail to see just how bad the problem is. We were told that, due to the ongoing issues, those answers aren’t available now.
Sheriff Javier Salazar said he felt the frustration of families but believes there is a good faith effort underway to bring the new system online. According to the county, that includes a team of 120 IT personnel working to resolve issues as they arise.
“I know that it's an inconvenience on the incarcerated and on their families. That's certainly not something that we're happy about," the sheriff said. "It's not something we're trying to cause, but we're at the mercy of, for lack of a better term, techies."
Salazar said when the system was taken offline late last Thursday, May 30, the goal was to have everything working by Monday morning.
“When the switch got flipped to live on Monday morning, all the information was supposed to auto-populate automatically into the new field. Well, they put everything into this sterile environment over the course of a couple of days while everything was off, and the minute they flipped the switch, all that data disappeared."
Salazar added that, at one point, they had 900 files that needed to be transferred. But things are improving.
“The last report that I have is that we're down to 375, so they're making good time.”
At every point, the sheriff said, they have to remain compliant with jail standards. He says they have managed to do so, and they also have to make sure they don’t make any mistakes along the way.
“The other thing we don’t want to do is erroneously release anybody that shouldn’t be out on the streets. We don’t want to let somebody out that shouldn’t be out! That hasn’t happened either,” Salazar said, while knocking on the wood of his podium.
Salazar said because extra personnel have been called in and everyone has rolled up their sleeves and pitched in, he hopes everything will be working as it should by week’s end.
Bexar County spokesperson Monica Ramos did tell KENS 5 in a statement that affected departments also included the County Clerk's Office, District Attorney's Office and Pre-Trial Services.
See Ramos' full statement below:
"Bexar County is aware of some issues website users may be experiencing online since the transition to a new Enterprise County Integrated Justice System (eCIJS), on Monday, June 3, 2024. The eCIJS integrates many areas of the County into one platform. Impacted offices and departments include County Clerk’s Office, District Clerk’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Pre-Trial Services, Public Defender’s Office, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office among others.
"As information migrates from the old system, there may be gaps in records returned as searches are conducted. Searches may not contain all the information in the records as eCIJS is continually updating with backlogged data.
"Until all information is entered, portals and reporting activity from the system may not be comprehensive.
"Bookings and releases are being performed by BCSO, as appropriate and in accordance with their processes and procedures.
"Over 120 BCIT and Tyler Technologies staff are monitoring issues and troubleshooting information transfers. Bexar County is working closely with all involved parties to make this implementation and transition as smooth as possible for everyone. If a specific situation is brought to our attention, we will look into it to determine the cause.
"For the latest updates on Criminal Justice System migration and impact to users, please visit www.bexar.org Please be sure to update your bookmarks and browsers."
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