SAN ANTONIO — A multi-day inspection unveiled a number of problems inside the Bexar County jail.
Those 18 problems have been put into 3 categories: Issues corrected, problems to be addressed in less than 30 days, and ones requiring 30 to 60 days to fix.
"Two of the areas of concern are processes that have been going on for 20 years, and so one of them we solved overnight. They wanted civilians gone from booking. We removed civilians from booking that day. We've had to backfill with deputies,” Sheriff Javier Salazar said.
The problems to be fixed are wide-ranging, from inconsistencies in processes used to move inmates to not every employee having the same certifications.
The sheriff said one issue they're hoping to address soon is technology.
"One of the things that's complicating things on a daily basis is we're still on a paper system,” Salazar said.
Issues from paperwork and processes have led to accidental releases in recent months, such as three murder suspects running the streets in an escape last year.
Despite the list of issues, Sheriff Salazar is adamant they'll have these problems fixed soon.
"I have all the faith in the world we're going to beat their 30-day deadline by a lot,” said Salazar.
The jail could face closure if the Sheriff’s Office fails to fix all the problems.
Salazar won’t say whether the jail failed this inspection, claiming he doesn’t know. However, he said he welcomes the chance to improve the facilities.
“Nobody likes that medical checkup, nobody likes that IRS audit, but it does help give you direction on corrections that you need to make. Absolutely, I welcome that input,” Salazar said.