BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – The San Antonio chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens called for elected city officials to join forces to prevent in-custody deaths at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center.
LULAC members spoke at a Friday news conference in front of the Bexar County jail to discuss their concerns with in-custody deaths at the facility.
LULAC Chapter Executive Director Henry Rodriguez and Director of Communication and Government Affairs Queta Rodriguez led the conversation.
Rodriguez believes San Antonio’s elected officials do not prioritize improvements to help inmates inside the Bexar County jail. She said the people in power blame one another instead of coming up with solutions.
“We are tired of elected officials pointing fingers at each other and not demonstrating a sense of urgency,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez called for the elimination of double magistration and named multiple elected city officials to “work together towards a concrete action plan and real transparency about every single death in custody.”
Double magistration is when a suspect is essentially booked into jail twice. San Antonio police officers normally take suspects to Municipal Court before Bexar County sheriff deputies take them to the county jail.
A mother named Gloria, whose daughter died at the Bexar County jail in 2011, also spoke at the news conference. Her daughter, Pamela Anguiano, was 25 years old at the time of her death.
Gloria claims Bexar County jail officials never called to notify her that Anguiano died.
“We know that there are other mothers that have lost their children, (and) children who have lost their parents,” Rodriguez said. “That’s why this is so urgent.”
“The commissioners court runs the budget, and the sheriff runs the building,” Rodriguez said. “When everyone owns a piece of the problem, and no one is willing to take accountability. No one owns the death.”
According to a KSAT Investigates analysis, six inmates have died while in the custody of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office this year.
Most recently, Elizabeth Anne Nero, 57, died after experiencing a medical episode on June 4. A BCSO spokesperson said detoxing may have been a factor in the June 6 death of Reyes Antonio Chaires Jr., 44.
KSAT has reached out to each member of the Bexar County Commissioners Court, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones’ office for comment.
BCSO provided KSAT with the following statement:
Prior to the event, we committed to organizers that we’d gladly participate in a forum. We have been working with stakeholders on these important issues, and look forward to sharing our plans publicly.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar
Bexar County Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody sent the following statement to KSAT:
For more than a year, I have been pushing for a public discussion on the overcrowding crisis at the Bexar County Jail. At my insistence, we finally had an initial conversation in April, but we cannot continue sweeping this problem under the rug. I have already requested another public discussion so we can continue this dialogue and start identifying potential solutions. The Bexar County Jail is one of our most important responsibilities on Commissioners Court. This is not only a public safety issue—it is also a quality-of-life issue for our community. I will stay focused on this issue and keep pushing for real solutions that strengthen public safety, prepare for future needs, and better serve our community.
Pct. 3 Commissioner Grant Moody
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