Friday, August 16, 2013

Texas taxpayers foot the bill for Secret Service style body guard protection for TDCJ Director

TDCJ Director Brad Livingston
 By Duane Stuart, Backgate Website

Armed body guards, state of the art surveillance equipment and alarms ? A hit Hollywood movie maybe? Not exactly. The Backgate has learned from a reliable whistle blowing agency insider that it's not a cool new action movie plot, it's reality. The insider told the Backgate that after the March 2013 murder of Colorado prison chief Tom Clements that someone implemented a secret service style personal protective unit for TDCJ Executive Director Brad Livingston. TDCJ pulled as many as 5-7 armed OIG ( Office of inspector general ) officers to act as his personal protective unit 24 hours a day, 7 days per week on and off of the job. The source also stated that the protection did not end with Livingston, it also included his wife and child.

 OIG officers were assigned to each seperately as the
TBCJ Chair Oliver Bell
child participated in sports practices, and his wife browsed the shelves at the local grocery store. All on the dime of Texas taxpayers. Although there was in fact one reported threat to Livingston's safety by a women identified as " an older female who was obviously mentally ill",  that threat was quickly downplayed and resolved by investigators. For 90 days, the protection continued with officers staking out Livingston's personal home in an affluent Huntsville subdivision. But i doesn't stop there, Livingston reportedly had thousands of dollars in survellance and alarm system equipment installed in his private home also at taxpayer expense. When questioned as to who may have approved such a large expenditure at taxpayer expense, the insider confirmed that Texas Board of Criminal Justice chairman Oliver Bell approved the measures. Hundreds of hours of OIG overtime, and manpower pulled from Hunstville prison units to act as chaperones and body guards ? All of which is obviously out of the realm of approval by the TBCJ chief. The Backgate also contacted a high ranking law enforcement official who stated that any and all possible threats would have been investigated by either local law enforcement, or the Department of Public Safety. Not the OIG.

 A prominent Austin Attorney we spoke with about the issue stated  "Obviously there should have been some sort of oversight or accountability of the agency authorizing such large expenditures for services and items not relevant or necessary for state business." " For instance,the placement of an alarm system in the private home of the TDCJ director for his personal use, when and if he sells that home, who assumes the cost of removing it since the state of Texas purchased it, or will the new owner simply inherit it?"  With the agency already in the red, and overtime rampant for Correctional staff statewide, we are seeking answers.

A longtime employee of the agency wrote to the Backgate about the issue " When myself, or any other Correctional Officer is threatened, which is everyday, TDCJ doesn't supply a body guard for me or my family or any other families, what makes him better then us?" The Backgate has sent out requests for official statements to the TDCJ, TBCJ, OIG, and state Senator John Whitmire.  We have yet to get any type of response from any of them as of today. As soon as we do, we will update this story.

19 comments:

  1. I should be shocked but I'm not. If were paid a dollar for every threat I've received over a 20 year period from a disgruntled inmate, I would be set for life. TDCJ just spent over 700,000 to air condition pig houses, gave Brad Livingston a 40% pay raise and we are supposed to be surprised at these latest antics...yawn.

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    1. The blogger has an unreliable source. Its a fabricated story. Nice try though.

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    2. Is that you Brad? ^^^^^^^^^

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    3. Fabricated? Ask any of the dozens of employees at the BOT who personally saw OIG personnel sitting outside of Brad's office ALL DAY LONG. (As a sidenote, what was the purpose of having people sitting outside his office door when the BOT already is a secured complex with only one entrance and exit?) In any case, it most certainly IS true, hence the reason no one from TDCJ, TBCJ, OIG or Whitmire has responded to the Backgate's request for comment. Haven't you noticed when something ISN'T true that people tend to speak up pretty quick?

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    4. a crook is going to do what they think they can get away with... we know TDCJ is full of crooks, not only the ones in white.... hell some of them learn how to be crooks from the ones in white. I don't think its fabricated at all, I think it happened and now its time to pay the cost to be the BOSS BRAD, man up and take consequences for your actions. This is what we get told at disciplinary when we get our probation or suspension

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  2. It is sad that TDCJ will give pigs air conditioning but don't give a damn about the working conditions of the staff or the living conditions of the offender. As far as Mr. Livingston getting personal secret OIG guards for him and his family... let him pay for it out of his pocket since he is very well compensated for his job.

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  3. How pathetic, this is worse than a former Director making illegal money on meat substitutes, then after he got caught we were all forced to take ethics classes, hmmm...guess what's gonna be a new topic at in-service. I'm sure there's a "watch and sign video" in production already.

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    1. amen , amen, and you know this, what needs to happen in all of TDCJ financial affairs and departments need some looking into IJS FYI. He is not the only one spending a shiny TDCJ dime...

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  4. Cowards do their best to protect themselves, but they always expect others to act brave.... When there are so many Units dangerously understaffed and everyday facing real criminals, and real threats. They see the staff without any decent respect and carrying only trivial problems. Yeah, another sign of abuse from public trust.

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  5. The guys at the Hughes unit cant even get decent radios or thrust vests. Always told it isn't in the budget!!! Ok and her gets a 40% raise, That Is Not A Leader!!!

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    1. go hughes unit ! we get told a lot of stuff aint in the budget, REMEBER the toilet tissue issue just a few years ago. TDCJ hires criminals everyday, then they all flock together and "have each others back." When we had better hiring standards in the past like at least 20 years ago we didn't have so much TRASH working in our agency. TDCJ needs to totally REVAMP their hiring policy. I would rather work short for a year get my OT and get QUALITY upright people with work ethics and integrity, then the trash we have been getting lately.

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  6. From the Desk of BoBoTheBeaten:

    I can't believe that anyone from the OIG's office would agree to take a bullet for our Executive Director. They aren't trained for that. They are trained as investigators (lose interpretation). Ole' Brad would be better off surrounding himself with a group of gangtas from his units. Those guys know how to provide cover and in general just live to die. It's how they were raised. They might even put a tattoo of Brad on their inner thighs.

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  7. And this does not cover the biggest outrage of all!! These people are going to air condition HOGS!! To hell with inmates and officers they gotta take care of the piggies.

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    1. From the Desk of BoBoTheBeaten:

      You have to admit at least hogs give back to society. The hogs provide a useful purpose. On a hot moist lonely night you can snuggle up next to a hog and then eat it for breakfast. What is a convict useful for?

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    2. So, a decent raise for staff and for better equipment isn't in the budget. But, Brad can get his own body guards and surveillance equipment and alarms. Plus, don't forget the raise Brad was awarded by our legislators. Now consider the new safe prisons cameras that are going up everywhere but staff restrooms. The propaganda COs are fed is that it's all good, that the cameras will not be used against them. I call BS. Policy is written by a bunch of people who have never worked as a prison official yet tend to favor the convicts. I absolutely love my job, but I am so glad I can retire soon.

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    3. umm wait hold the press @ the john b connally unit inside the pickets there are cameras, so YES they have cameras in the restroom areas, because our toilets are in the picket

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  8. BOBO I don't think the person meant give the convict a/c but damn to give the officers a/c at some units it does mean the crook gets air too. PERSONALY all this heat related crap is BULLSH!T. I started the agency over 20 yrs ago we didn't have no a/c then in them so HOT buildings, but we had smarter officers who knew to find a window and stay cool and drink water, and knew what our job consisted off.. you want an easy day don't start sh!t at work leave them alone and they will leave you alone

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    1. So your reasoning is if you did it we can too? Still crap in the out house like your Grandpa did? Didn't think so. And, by the way, if I see an injustice, I will speak up, regardless if it makes my day easier or not.

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  9. Really? there are cameras trained on the toilet areas in the pickets??

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