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Union calls addition of 100 jailers a "band-aid"
FOX 26 Political Reporter Greg Groogan has more reaction after the Harris County Jailers Union calls the addition of 100 jailers a "band-aid."
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - The Harris County Deputies Organization is speaking out and calling the addition of 100 detention officers at the troubled jail "not near enough" to restore safety.
"Only a hundred detention officers is putting a band-aid on a sinking ship like the Titanic. It's not enough," said David Cuevas, HCDO President.
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Cuevas contends at least 500 additional guards are needed to stabilize an environment that has become dangerous for both inmates and detention officers.
RELATED: Family of fatally injured special needs inmate demand jail funding, reform
In September, the HCDO filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court alleging rampant violence and drug abuse with more than 6,000 inmate-on-inmate assaults this year alone.
The ongoing crisis came to a head two weeks ago with the fatal stabbing and beating of Fred Harris, a 19-year-old first-time offender with profound special needs.
RELATED: 19-year-old jail beating victim dead; family donates his organs
"As long as it continues to fester, Harris County will remain unsafe because that's what it is. It's horrible. It's horrific. Our men and women in the Harris County Sheriff's Office are fighting hard every day to keep everyone safe, but you cannot allow lawlessness to continue."
RELATED: Disabled teen's horrific murder in Harris Co. jail triggers serious charges against killer
FOX 26 has learned that the Texas Jail Standards Commission is inside the Harris County facility this week inspecting conditions and investigating allegations documented by detention officers.