Sheriff hires first civilian to overseeHarris County Jail
A former state jail inspector will oversee Harris County’s jail, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced Wednesday.
Shannon Herklotz, who worked for the Texas Commision on Jail Standards formore than 20 years, began serving as the jail’s chief of detentions on Monday, according to a statement from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Harris County commissioners have for years tried to install a civilian administrator to oversee the county’s sprawling jail, which houses some 9,000 inmates at any given time and in recent years has been the site of several inmate suicides, assaults or other violent incidents.
Herklotz was deputy director for the regulatory agency, which ensures all 239 Texas jails meet state standards.
“Our search for a Chief of Detentions targeted someone with the experience, values and vision to achieve our goal of cementing the Harris County Jail’s reputation for safety, innovation and professionalism,” stated Gonzalez. “These are qualities that our team displayed while managing the ongoing pandemic, and I am excited to see the continued transformation of the Harris County Jail under Shannon Herklotz’s leadership.”
Herklotz said he takes his duty seriously to ensure “care, custody and control of every person living inside our jail.”
“Keeping every person in the jail — including our staff and those entrusted into-our care— safe and healthy is our first priority,” he said. “But more than that, we are committed to making sure people leave our jail better prepared to make a positive contribution to our community by connecting them with the resources and support they need to do so.”
The Harris County Jail is the largest jail in Texas, and the thirdlargest in the nation, with a current population of just over 9,000. Harris County officials have flirted with the idea of a civilian administrator several times over the last 30 years.
Commissioners considered trying to appoint a civilian administrator at least as far back as 1991, according to Chronicle archives. The move was driven by the soar
ing cost of the jail, and the increase in the sheriff’s budget, and as the sheriff’s office had struggled to control overcrowding in its facility.
Since then, the sheriff’s office’s responsibilities have only grown, while the budget has swelled above $700 million, according to last year’s records.
In 2015, county officials again considered the issue, looking into the possibility of appointing a jail head who would report to court members and run the facility with an independent budget. But the county ultimately shelved the idea because it would require changes in state law, which places ultimate authority and responsibility for management of county jails with elected sheriffs. Unlike past proposals, Herklotz’ hire means he will remain in the sheriff’s office chain of command. The position pays $165,000 a year.
Former county commissioner Steve Radack — who in the past pushed for a civilian administrator — said the challenges running a large jail still merit authority and autonomy on par with the sheriff’s, rather than a position subordinate to him.
“Being a jail administrator versus a person hired by the sheriff to handle the jail, that’s two different things,” he said, noting that roughly half of the sheriff’s budget goes to handling detention responsibilities.
Sheriff’s spokesman Jason Spencer said the decision to hire Herklotz came after the recent departure of Assistant Chief Darryl Coleman, who oversaw the jail and who retired in December.
“This was an opportunity hire someonewho has an outside perspective, but also expertise on how to run a modern jail,” he said.
Texas Commission on Jail Standards Executive Director Brandon Wood said his former subordinate had worked at the jail commission for 22 years.
“He is as versed in jail standards as anyone out there,” Wood said, “and I wish him the best — but he will be subject to the same jail standards we apply everywhere else in Texas.”
Herklotz’s hire comes as Gonzalez’s administration repeatedly has run afoul of the jail commission over the last few years during annual inspections and other spot checks. The jail also came under scrutiny after a series of inmate suicides between 2017 and 2019.
The change in leadership comes a month after the jail failed to meet a state standard requiring staff to consistently perform visual checks on people in the jail, according to an inspection report from TCJS.
During an annual unannounced inspection Nov. 30 through Dec. 4, jail staff did not perform face-toface observations on a group of high-risk inmates every 30 minutes, as is required by state law, according to the report.
The high-risk group included those known to be “assaultive, potentially suicidal, mentally ill, or who have demonstrated bizarre behavior.” Staff also failed to perform in-person checks on the rest of the jail population once every hour, the report says, which the state mandates.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo applauded Herklotz’s hire, calling it a “turning point” for the jail and for the county.
“Meaningful reform to our criminal justice system means taking stock of our entire system, from top to bottom,” she said. “The responsibility of running a jail isn’t simply about making sure people can’t get out — it’s about ensuring that processes are efficient and fair, that jail staff are safe, and that people leaving our custody leave at least as well as they came in.”