Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Senator Whitmire speaks to the Backgate about cell phones



By Marcus Williams, Backgate Website


Just over a year ago, inmate Richard Tabler got hold of one of many cell phones said to be available on death row and manged to make a phone call to Texas Senator John Whitmire, threatening his safety. Whitmire publicly scorned TDCJ for he quoted as a lack of basic security. TDCJ reacted by increasing the frequency of employee searches coming into prison units, and even spent millions on new x-ray scanning machines and metal detectors. But after all the tax payer money spent on these new toys, has it helped reduce the number of cell phones found within the agency ?



The answer is no. data provided to the Backgate by TDCJ revealed that the numbers have actually increased. TDCJ Executive Services provided information stated "There were 370 phones discovered in calendar year 2009, and 398 phones discovered in calendar year 2010 (through November)." That period runs from January to January. These numbers reflect what was found to be inside of the secure facilities themselves, in the hands of Texas prison inmates.

The following are the total numbers of cell phones found each respective year: (found outside of the units as well for the grand total)

Calendar Year 2009 - 1,110
Calendar Year 2010 (through November) - 733

This information reveals that although the total amount of cell phones found was lower this year, more have actually made it into the prison units this year then last year. And this years numbers only represent phones found up until November.

Millions spent on new gadgets

With the millions of dollars spent on all of the new gadgets that TDCJ has employed to fight the war on contraband, no formal industry training has been conducted on how to use those gadgets. Many Officers around the state claim that they are just thrust into the position as necessary and are not really trained on what they are even looking for. "It's a smokescreen for TDCJ" said one Officer we spoke too via email. TDCJ training department administrators concede that no training is provided at any level formally within the training department for new incoming staff members, or those attending yearly inservice training. "No curriculum has been established as of yet." stated one training official we spoke with. "The search process remains in the hands of staff, and it's only effective as the quality of staff that are assigned there." " Not to mention the individual ethics of those staff members." said a long time TDCJ administrator we spoke with about the issues.

Just yesterday the Backgate broke a story that began on the Allred unit in north Texas. A female Officer who was assigned at a search point for employees, located a loaded pistol in the coat pocket of another female employee. That discovery was made by viewing the x-ray machine monitor at that location. This was a case of good search procedures and an employee being vigilant. But you have to ask yourself, how much gets through? How much slips by due to training issues, or ethics issues where an employee may look the other way for a co-worker ?

Senator John Whitmire weighs in

We posed these questions for Texas Senator John Whitmire just days ago. His response to us was "one phone is too damned many" and is still publicly critical of TDCJ's inability to secure it's prison units. Whitmire blasted TDCJ during public senate hearings last year after concerns were raised about contraband getting into prison facilities statewide when he himself got a phone call from death row. The Terrell unit corruption scandal that the Backgate brought to light in 2008 also resulted in Whitmire calling a hearing where TDCJ officials were admonished for lax security and supervision.

More Texas legislators have become interested in these new stats and we will print what they have to say about it here soon...

4 comments:

  1. Untill Officers are treated with respect by the administration, and are allowed to be proud of being a CO, the contraband issues will not get any better. There are corrupt in every field at every level. From the whitehouse on down.If the agency wants to decrease the contraband being introduced, The agency needs to focus on the moral, wants, & issues of the staff at the different units. Terriorizing or alienating staff everytime they show up for work with lengthy unpaid waits to be searched isn't going to improve things. The benefits & pay issues aren't the leading reason for the introduction of contraband, it deals more with the supervisors in a hostile enviroment...The agency needs to adopt a leadership program that functional in operations not just one that looks good on paper. The agency's current supervisor program is allowing the staff to be profiled & manipulated by the offenders at a unpresidented rate.

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    1. Big Texas News, found out that region three cell phone dog was almost killed. They inmates that fed him tried to poison him. Now the dog goes home every day with its handler ( Co. ). Jester three during mid day no one searches you at the front gate. The Warden says we are short staffed. Well then security is not # one at jester three.

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  2. Dear Senator Whitmire,

    When are you going to help us on the Hutchins Unit. And now it looks like they need help on the Colfield Unit with the higher rank wanting to search Homes. Anytime we ask for a pay raise ya`ll say there is not enough money but we have it to go employees homes to search them using state time and vans...... Please help us.......

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  3. DEAR SENATOR WHITMIRE, I AM AN OFFENDER RECENTLY RELEASED FROM THE C.T. TERRELL OR RAMSEY 3 UNIT. IF YOU EVER WANT TO SEE A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF WASTED TAX PAYER MONEY, MAKE AN "UNEXPECTED" VISIT TO THE C.T. TERRELL UNIT. TAKE A WALK THROUGH THE KITCHEN AND SEE IF YOU CAN GET AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHERE THE "FOOD" IS "RERALLY" GOING. BECAUSE I ASSURE YOU IT IS NOT BEING FED TO THE INMATES. IT IS BEING CHANNELED DOWN THE ROAD TO GUARDS AND WARDENS HOMES AND FOR WEEKEND BBQ'S FOR THE GUARDS WHILE THE INMATES ARE BEING FED BEEF NOODLE CASSEROLE AND CHILI MAC WHEN THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING PORK CHOPS OR THE OCCASIONAL BBQ RIBS. EVEN FRIED CHICKEN HAD BECOME SCARCE BEFORE I LEFT IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE DAILY MENU FOR TDCJ INMATES WAS PRINTED BY HUNTSVILLE AND WAS TO BE ADHERED TO IN ORDER TO KEEP THE BUDGET IN CHECK. "WRONG"!!!!! THAT IS NOT WHAT IS HAPPENING I ASSURE YOU!!! AND MEDICAL CARE ON THE C.T. TERRELL IS THIRD RATE AT BEST. THOSE SO CALLED DOCTORS ARE ONE STEP AWAY FROM VETERANARIANS. SAD FOR SURE. I KNOW I SPEASK FOR ALL THE ONE'S I LEFT BEHIND YOUR INTERVENTION WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATED.

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