1985: County scrambles to fix broken windows in jail

March 19, 1985

By David Landis
Times staff writer

Many of the 205 county jail windows broken almost two years ago by rebellious inmates have not been replaced, and the county is rushing to finish the job before state jail inspectors arrive in April.

“(Former Sheriff) Mike Davis claims we were the first big jail (in Texas) to be certified, and I don’t want to be the first big jail to be uncertified,” Sheriff Leo Samaniego said Monday.

Samaniego said 176 of the windows have not been replaced but must be if the jail is to retain its certification. The state inspectors will arrive either April 15 or April 23, he said.

The $32 million jail, which began operation in July 1983, features impenetrable glass windows instead of traditional iron bars. The window consist of a poly-carbonate substance sandwiched between two glass panes.

Although inmates have not been able to penetrate the inner substance, they discovered soon after moving in that they could shatter the outer glass and make it difficult for guards to see into the cells.

The jail was certified by the state jail standards commission last April, with the provision that the shattered windows be replaced. In January 1984, commissioners ordered the installation of a steel mesh screen on the windows to prevent further breakage, but they never replaced the broken windows.

“I think (the Sheriff’s Department) just got busy and never got around to it,” Commissioner Charlie Hooten said.

Monday, Commissioners Court voted to set aside $54,000 to replace the broken windows. Hooten said the actual price probably will be closer to $32,000. The higher price was for a chemically treated glass that is harder to break, he said, but that kind of glass probably would not be necessary on most windows now that the screens are in place.

In other Sheriff’s department developments, Samaniego said 12 secretaries and clerical workers who were certified as peace officers during Davis’ administration have been decertified or reassigned to law enforcement duties.

Samaniego said he has been critical of their certification because he believes secretarial and clerical jobs should be filled by lower-paid civilian workers.