Aside from the issue of population density, the private jail woes of Essex County, New Jersey, and McLennan County, Texas, are very similar. Both have county lockups operated by Sheriff's Department staff; both have a privately operated detention center operated by CEC, Inc.The for-profit corrections corporation is under federal fire at both locations.
The Star-Ledger of New Jersey reports that CEC, Inc., is feeling pressure for the same reasons that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons removed ICE prisoners from the Jack Harwell Detention Center in Waco. - The Legendary
By Jason Grant
Reprinted from “The Star-Ledger”
Newark - The immigrants being held in Essex County and facing deportation tell of being locked down in rooms while being denied medical help, of not getting "a mere" 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day in nutrition, of trying to sleep fully clothed in freezing spaces, of fellow detainees "who haven’t seen the sun for over two years."
These are some of the testimonial details gathered from detainees whose anonymous quotes lace a disturbing report released Thursday by New York University School of Law’s immigrant-rights clinic.
The report, titled "Immigration Incarceration: The Expansion and Failed Reform of Immigration Detention in Essex County, N.J." and done in cooperation with New Jersey Advocates for Immigrant Detainees, will undergird an important law school-run conference today in Newark that focuses on the rights and treatment of the nation’s scores of imprisoned immigrants.
In 39 pages, the report claims Essex County has more than 1,200 detainees, many of whom are suffering through abusive, unsafe and unclean conditions that fail to meet the federal Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agency’s own standards for such detention.
It also bluntly recommends that "ICE should cease detaining immigrants in state and local jails, starting with those facilities that fail to meet the 2011 ICE Performance-Based National Detention Standards," and says "ICE officials should use alternatives to detention, such as supervised release."...
Please click here to read the rest of the story:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/nyu_immigration_report_uncover.html
All of this sounds so familiar for here in McLennan County, except the freezing cells, this is Texas after all.
ReplyDeleteWhy are we still doing business with these people? It's obivous that our constitutional bond inspection the Sheriff is supposed to be doing are not happening. Their budget is a mess and will end up costing taxpayers. The Sheriff's Office sounds like they are using the 5 D's of dodgeball; dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. When will our Sheriff and his underqualified Chief Deputy own up to their responsiblities. Maybe Commissioners Court should set their agenda to coincide with the political events for the next couple of weeks, since that seems to be the only time Plemons comes out of his office. Or maybe they should just make an apointment under the guise of making an endorsement video for him, since that seems to be the only way to get into his county owned office.
Isn't it an ethics violation using his county office for his endorsement videos?
Plemons is commiting numerous ethics violations. Lynch did the same thing when he ran. Corruption breeds corruption. That sums up the Sheriff's office. The tax payers are ignorant to the facts. Therefore,they do nothing about it. Lynch and Plemons will continue to lie their way out of things, and hide from their responsibilities. They are a disgrace to law enforcement.
ReplyDeleteMaybe after McNamara gets elected, he'll be able to find Plemons to bring him in to answer all the questions on his competency while he served as Chief Deputy.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think you would approve my post you loser. Dissenting opinions on your blog are what blogs are about.When the new guy gets elected the stress of being the sheriff will put him in a nursing home in 18 months. You know, there is more to running an organization than just sitting and smiling when you have several hundred people and the state and federal government breathing down you neck. If this author micro reports every aspect of the dept after the great election, then this old dude will be seriously in bad shape. Be careful what you wish for. I am not a plemmons or lynch fan but namara is not the answer.
ReplyDeleteMcNamara is used to running organizations under the eye of the federal government. He ran the Waco District of 13 counties for 15 years. Now he didn't have the federal and state government breathing down his neck like Lynch and Plemons, because his department was well run from the top. He lead by example, not exception. While the government breathes heavily down Lynch and Plemons necks, they gave McNamara awards for his "sustained superior level of law enforcement service". And I take the use of "sustained superior level" directly from one of the awards he received from one the government organization currently breathing down the Sheriff and Plemons necks.
ReplyDeleteBesides, McNamara is in better shape then Plemons has ever been. The man vacations in a place where you hike in and out over dangerous mountain trails. The hikes take about 24 hours either way. Those are annual trips he still takes, not what he did once upon a time.
But I also predict this site won't micro report every aspect of the department if McNamara takes office. When busting criminals becomes an every day thing, there isn't much to report but numbers, which is a bit boring to readers.
dream on brother
DeleteHahaha. Plemons can't tell who's kissing up if you post as "Anonymous". No promotion for you.
DeleteThe taxpayers need to end the corruptness and incompetence in the sheriff's office NOW. We can't afford to wait for the candidate that the above mentioned post seems to want.
ReplyDeleteRonald Reagan was older than Mr. McNamara, and seemed to handle his responsibilities just fine. I would bet the office of the President of the United States is much more stressful than running the Sheriff's Department of "good ole boy" McLennan County.
What we need is a Sheriff who is actually experienced as a lawman, with integrity,morals, intelligence,business experience and training. The fact that Mr. McNamara has never been sued for not paying his bills, and also the fact that Mr.McNamara has never put the taxpayers in huge debt that we can't pay to a jail that we don't need just to line his own pockets is enough evidence that he is the man for the job. A person's age should be the least of your concerns!
We have real problems here!
The state and us government have hundreds of publications with nothing but rules and regulations that address every aspect of a public office and the coddling of prisoners. Find me a county sheriff jurisdiction that is in full 100% compliance and I will be totally surprised. I'm not aware of any major organization namara has been in charge of other than supervising a handful of district deputy marshals whose main responsibilities consisted of transporting prisoners to and from jail to court hearings and transferring prisoners to other jurisdictions. It is just within the last 10 to 15 years did law enforcement team up to form task forces to arrest fugitives. I'm sure the SO has deputies also involved with this effort. My point is that he will find himself way over his head REAL QUICK once he takes office. Personally I have not been impressed with plemmons or lynch but the lonesome dove style deputies are long gone with the advent of DNA, modern forensics, modern investigative techniques and smarter enforcement officers. The lordly image projected by the admirers of namara are based on some hollywood fantasy they have based on being a "fed". Be careful what you wish for.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's because you can't get his name right. It's McNamara, not "namara". You sound like Plemons or Hancock trying to put some wild spin on the truth. Perhaps you aren't intelligent enough to read about the awards McNamara has received for all his work with the DEA, DPS, Secret Service, and the Sheriff's Office. And let us not forget the award he received in his own department for his investigation on the McDuff case.
DeletePlus if a smarter enforcement officer is an object to be concerned with, Plemons has only a high school education, McNamara has a business degree from a top business school to go with his continued federal training. McNamara also worked after his retirement for as a security consultant that was contracted by Lockheed. Lockheed is not on just on the forefront of new tech, the are the leading edge.
Parnell McNamara represents what is lacking in the current administration of the Sheriffs office. That is integrity,good character, strong work ethic,honesty,keeping ones promises, accountability,courage,perseverance. Maybe according to some people that is considered old fashioned or something off of Lonesome Dove. However, that is what is missing in todays McLennan County Sheriff's office. Those old fashioned character traits are what built this country. We need to get back to them before it is too late.
ReplyDeleteMy question to the writer of the previous post is Can we afford to continue status quo?
I know I can't afford to have people who are out to pad their own pockets being responsible for raising my taxes.
McNamara ran the U.S. Marshalls operations in 13 counties. Plemons can't even handle running the operations of 1 county efficiently. McNamara is more that qualified and able to handle the S.O. Not to mention the fact that he will have a very qualified and exdperienced Chief Deputy. McNamara will lead by example. He won't just give people a lot of smooth talking and rhetoric like what we have now. What we need is someone who will take action. McNamara is the man.
MCLENNAN COUNTY NEEDS A CHANGE!
Mr. McNamara possesses what the present administration of McLennan County Sheriff's office is severely lacking and desperately needs...true leadership,integrity,strong work ethic,honesty,keeping ones promises,and courage.
ReplyDeleteThe writer of the previous post might consider that way of conducting business as being old fashioned or off of Lonesome Dove. However, that is what built this country.
My question to the writer above is, "Can we afford to continue status quo?" I know I can't afford to have my taxes raised because of utter incompetence and lack of accountability.
McNamara ran operations over 13 counties. Plemons can't even handle effectively running the operations of one county. McNamara possesses years of business experience along with a business degree from one of the best business schools around. A true leader is only as effective as the people he has working for him. McNamara will have a Chief Deputy that also possesses the business knowledge, and lawman experience that we need. McNamara has the best of both...Lawman and administrator. McNamara knows how to bring a team of lawmen from all agencies together to work for a common goal. No other law enforcement agency in this county wants to work with the present Sheriff's office.
McNamara is not a smooth talking politician like Plemons, he is a no nonsense get down to business kind of leader. McNamara leads by example. You might consider that old fashioned, but it will certainly be more effective than what we have now!
We need a change now. McNamara represents the change that we need.
The bottom line is that what we have now in the Sheriff's office is not working efficiently and/or effectively. It really doesn't matter if Plemons has worked down there for 100 years. Yes, he has been down there keeping a desk warm. What does he really have to show for it? How is he so progressive and technology savvy? He can't even handle his own budget, or the Sheriff's office budget.
ReplyDeleteThe crisis response team and negotiators are a joke. They spend a lot of taxpayers money to buy equipment that they rarely, if ever use. Nobody calls them out on anything. When the surrounding areas of Waco want a swat team, they call Waco or Woodway. Hewitt and Robinson have a good one now too. It's a complete waste of money. I would like to see what Plemons leadership has really accomplished that is favorable. I know it has accomplished a lot of discord among the deputies. That is not good.
I would like to see some real proof of some real accomplishments besides a lot of rhetoric coming from Plemons.
McNamara has tangible proof of his accomplishments. I agree with the comments above. We need a change asap.
Something in one of the above post struck a nerve with me. In this day and age, we've developed a TV show called, Undercover Boss. It's a concept where the leader of a company goes undercover like King Richard did among his men. It allows the boss to get a feel for how things are in the trenches, since they know it's hard to get a real reading in an office.
ReplyDeleteSo how does this relate to the Sheriff's race, simple. Plemons is someone who is rarely seen among his troops. That would require getting out in the field, which he see no need unless there is a reporter around. McNamara on the other hand has a well documented and awarded career of running a department and still being in contact with his troops.
A friend of mine put it this way. When it comes time to go into a house to arrest a dangerous suspect, what kind of boss would you rather have? Would you you rather have a boss who calls in from the office to say go get the guy, or would you rather have a boss who is standing beside you ready to kick the door telling you, "You take left, I've got right."?
Plemons says he spend time in the office to make sure his deputies have the resources the deputies need to do their jobs. McNamara, being someone in the field would be risking his butt along with his troops, so I'm sure he will make sure that they, he and his troops, will have the resources needed to do the job. In other words, when all you've done is sit behind a desk it's a a little different saying the words, then it is when you are out in the field taking the same risks. That's the difference between lawman and administrator.
Of course with this race in McNamara we get both lawman and administrator, while Plemons' actions has shown McLennan County he's neither. McNamara has a history of kicking doors down and a history of running a "superior" district. Plemons has a history of never being in the field and now even running from Commissioners when he can't answer their questions on how his budget got in such a mess.
We need a sheriff that isn't a self-serving coward. Vote McNamara.
ReplyDelete