Dallas Jail Guard Sues County Sheriff For More Coronavirus Testing
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A Dallas corrections officer has sued the county sheriff over what he says are unsafe conditions at the jail and inadequate coronavirus testing.
In the suit filed in state court Monday, Emanuel Lewis claims that Sheriff Marian Brown has endangered his life and the lives of his colleagues by not providing them with coronavirus testing at the jail and doing too little testing of inmates.
Lewis also alleges that overcrowding, insufficient cleaning, inadequate protective equipment and a lack of nurses imperils jail staff, inmates and broader community.
A spokesman for Sheriff Brown declined to comment on the suit, citing legal advice. He did not provide the total number of inmates and staff who've tested positive for the coronavirus.
As of Monday, the jail had 45 inmates and 27 staff members with active cases of COVID-19, according to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Another 474 inmates were quarantined but did not have active cases. The suit follow any earlier civil case inmates at the Dallas County Jail brought over conditions there amid the pandemic. Texas' prison system is facing similar suits.
Lewis is seeking a court injunction that his attorney, John Eichman, said would lead to more testing and better health conditions in the jail.
The entire lawsuit can be read here.
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