Howard County commissioners discuss an agreement with the Texas Department of Public Safety for use of its Crime Records Service during monday morning's meeting. (HERALD photo/Thomas Jenkins)

_{By THOMAS JENKINS     
Staff Writer
With the inmate count at the new 96-bed jail facility still hovering in the low to mid 80s Monday morning, overcrowding in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system may be one cause of the elevated numbers, according to county officials.}

Howard County commissioners met with Sheriff Stan Parker during the court's meeting Monday, with the jail's inmate count quickly becoming a topic of interest.

“The jail's inmate count was 80 this morning,” Parker told the court. “We had been holding about 32 inmates waiting for TDCJ to accept their transfer. Six of those inmates went out Friday, but that's all.”

The jail recently peaked at 98 inmates a couple of weeks ago, a problem Parker said is being contributed to heavily by the large number of inmates awaiting transfer to a TDCJ facility.

“I know we've been sitting with about a third of our (jail) population at one point being sentenced inmates,” said  Parker. “I think that's one of the reason we've seen the jail numbers increase so much, because so many inmates are just waiting to be transferred to a TDCJ facility.”

Parker attributed the problem to a backup in the state's prison system.

“The prison system is backed up. Usually, we can get them out within three or four days of sentencing. However, now we're running anywhere between 35 to 40 days of hold,” said Parker. “They have 45 days in which to accept the transfer, otherwise they have to start paying us a per diem cost everyday. Once they can be transferred, we transport them.”

Local officials hoping to see the number of inmates awaiting transfer to dissipate may be left waiting, according to Parker, as the backup in the prison system doesn't show any signs of letting up.

“I don't honestly see any relief in sight for quite a while,” said Parker. “I think it's something we're just going to have to factor in and manage.”

Also during Monday's meeting of the commissioners court, the government panel approved an agreement with the Texas Department of Public Safety for use of its Crime Records Service, a nationwide database Parker said his investigators use on a regular basis.

 “It's known as TDEX, and it's basically an investigative tool,” said Parker. “It helps us find people, cars and things like that during the course of an investigation. It keeps up with reports done anywhere across the nation that's done on a particular person or arrest. It helps us keep track. It's just another investigative tool. It's not necessarily a big part of what we do, but it's a part of it.”

And with county coffers already stretched thin, Parker said the price was unbeatable.

“There's no charge to the county for use of the system,” said Parker. “It's funded by the state and federal government, so there's no charge to us. All we have to do is sign up and use it.”

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it