SAN ANTONIO – In just one month, five Bexar County deputies assigned to the jail have been removed from their positions — two of them arrested and facing serious criminal charges, including murder.
Sheriff Javier Salazar said while misconduct in jails isn’t unique to Bexar County, his department’s approach to handling it is.
“What’s going on in the jail is no different than what’s going on in every other jail in the country,” Salazar said in an interview with KSAT. “It’s an ongoing thing. But you’ve got to take it seriously, and you’ve got to take a forward-leaning approach, which is exactly what we’re doing at this point.”
Salazar emphasized his commitment to transparency, saying the department doesn’t quietly dismiss problematic employees.
“We are actively looking into those things,” he said. “I’m not content to just quietly fire people and then hope that nobody finds out. We do it in the open. We rip the covers off and let people know exactly what we’re doing.”
One of the most serious cases involves former deputy Clemente Lopez, who was arrested and charged with murder. Investigators allege he opened a jail cell door then allowed inmates to beat another inmate to death.
Salazar said Lopez’s arrest came as a surprise.
“There were no red flags with that young man,” Salazar said. “He seemed like an up-and-coming deputy — intelligent, polite, well-spoken. There really weren’t any indicators.”
As his department continues its investigations, Salazar said he hopes each case will serve as a warning for others.
“We use every one of those as a teachable moment,” he said. “For anybody coming in who may be thinking of repeating that same mistake or emulating that sort of activity.”
The cases remain under investigation, and additional disciplinary action has not been ruled out.
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