LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Lubbock County Sheriff Kelly Rowe says the county detention center is overdue for significant repairs and expansion, with physical deterioration and aging technology threatening the facility\u2019s standing as a model jail in Texas.<\/p>\n
Rowe said the jail\u2019s population has grown from 1,000 inmates when it opened to roughly 1,400 on a regular basis, requiring the county to ship overflow inmates to other counties.<\/p>\n
The facility, now in its 17th year of operation, has seen wear and tear throughout the building. A roof replacement estimated at approximately $6 million several years ago has begun, but Rowe said only about a third of the work has been completed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the time it\u2019s all said and done, that roof will have cost well more than what it would have cost if we\u2019d have fixed it back in the day,\u201d Rowe said.<\/p>\n
Water intrusion from the roof has caused visible damage inside the building, including a beam that\u2019s lost its concrete and has rusted in the sally port, water spots throughout the facility, and bladder systems installed to prevent leaks from dripping onto electronics.<\/p>\n
Outside the facility, a retaining wall has begun to lean.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t get it repaired in short order, it may just very well collapse. And that happens, so goes a pretty good section of the parking lot, the way that\u2019s designed out there,\u201d Rowe said.<\/p>\n
Security electronics, including intercom and automated door lock systems, were installed at least a year before the jail opened and were not new at the time of purchase, Rowe said. He said those systems are now reaching end of life, and replacement parts are difficult to source.<\/p>\n
He said the button used to communicate with all inmates during an emergency crashes the system, forcing deputies and jailers onto \u201cfire watch\u201d \u2014 manually monitoring every inmate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a challenge in and of itself, too, just because, again, we\u2019ve got staffing limitations, staffing requirements that we\u2019ve got to meet. And, again, it\u2019s just, it causes greater management challenges than you can imagine,\u201d Rowe said.<\/p>\n
Rowe told county commissioners in early budget discussions the jail \u201cteeters\u201d on failing an inspection with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. He serves as chair of that board.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what bothers me more than anything else is that you take that that has that kind of reputation, particularly here in the state of Texas, and that\u2019s the jail that\u2019s having to come before the commission with action plans and how are you addressing this and where are you finding the funding?\u201d Rowe said.<\/p>\n
Repairs to items such as the roof and computer systems fall under separate county budgets, including maintenance and information technology. Rowe said he has no control over those budgets but does not see how operating at a no-new-revenue rate would allow room for improvements.<\/p>\n
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