Commissioner says sheriff misled public in promoting Tarrant County as "Cadillac of Jails"
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn planned to proudly discuss a United States Department of Justice report with County Commissioners that he released in October.
But Commissioner Alisa Simmons wasn't ready to jump on the "Cadillac of Jails" moniker from the review in May.
"This did not address in-custody deaths in-depth," Simmons said.
She told CBS News Texas Tuesday evening that the report said some positive things about the jail. Simmons called the positives chiefly physical.
"Nobody said the jail was dirty. We said it's deadly," she said.
The commissioner also called Waybourn's presentation of the 36-page report funded by the National Institute of Corrections misleading.
It highlighted the medical services at the jail run by JPS Health Network and the mental health professionals at the facility. The two-person panel from the Falcon Group contracted to review the jail, Simmons said, did not come to take a deep dive into the custodial deaths at the jail.
"The NIC and the Civil Rights Division aren't the same. And their missions are opposite," Simmons said. "One serves sheriffs. One [would] investigates sheriffs. So, if you read their conclusions, it is a compliment sandwich."
During the meeting, Simmons asked Waybourn if the Civil Rights Division she and others have spoken with about the jail being on-site May 13-15th in Fort Worth.
"The Civil Rights Division wasn't here," Waybourn said.
He assured commissioners the division was in the loop through the NIC. Waybourn, who was encouraged to be honest and transparent about the problems at his jail, fired back at Simmons.
"Let me make it clear, I have not been able to raise people from the dead. I don't have cancer cure pills, and someone determined to commit suicide often completes it," Waybourn said. "Those things happen. Accidents happen."
The Sheriff said his officers saved 279 inmates from suicide last year. He said that that number has jumped to 350 for this year.
Simmons said she wants to help Waybourn, but the elected official also wants a criminal investigation into the deaths at the jail.
In part of a statement sent to CBS News Texas, Waybourn said: "I don't know how much more transparent we can be. We allowed full access to our facilities, staff, inmates, and documents. The NIC conducted a thorough assessment of the Tarrant County Jail and had no concerns. In fact, they said we are a "model institution" and referred to us as the "Cadillac of Jails."