TDCJ temporarily suspends transport of inmates
TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has temporarily suspended the transport of inmates.
The agency is conducting a comprehensive review of its transportation procedures after convicted murderer Gonzalo Lopez escaped from a transport bus on May 12.
TDCJ said in a statement that if it becomes necessary to do a transport such as releasing or an emergency medical appointment, additional security measures will be implemented.
"The agency is conducting an internal Serious Incident Review and also intends to bring in an outside firm to conduct an independent review to identify factors that may have lead to the escape of Lopez," according to a statement from TDCJ.
Lopez assaulted and overpowered the bus driver who was transporting him to a medical appointment. Unable to keep control, the bus veered off a roadway near Interstate 45 and crashed. Lopez took off on foot.
Lopez was fatally shot by law enforcement on June 2 after he killed a family of five and stole their truck from a rural weekend cabin.
Texas state Sen. John Whitmire, who had called for a temporary halt in inmate transports, praised the prison agency's change in policy.
"While the investigation continues into exactly what happened with the recent escape and tragic murder of 5 members of the Collins family, we must act swiftly to ensure no other Texan is in danger of losing their life or being harmed by an escaped inmate being transported on Texas roads," Whitmire, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, said in a written statement.
The committee will likely have a hearing sometime this summer to review what happened and prison system polices related to transporting inmates, said Lara Wendler, a spokeswoman for Whitmire.
The state senator has suggested the Department of Criminal Justice should keep violent offenders in prison units closer to medical facilities or should have medical teams visit the units.
Whitmire also called for additional security during inmate transports, including having another vehicle with armed officers follow close behind.
