Tarrant County jail chief retires

TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — The man in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Tarrant County Jail has retired. The announcement from Charles Eckert, deputy executive director of confinement at the Tarrant County Jail, comes amid a string of inmate deaths at the jail.

The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, however, said in a statement that Eckert “retired very honorably” after working for the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office for 32 years.

“He just won Texas Administrator of the Year and has many other positive accomplishments during his tenure. We will miss him and wish him the best in his retirement,” the statement said. “Anyone who speaks negatively about Chief Eckert's service is clearly misinformed or divisive. »

Three in-custody deaths have been reported at the Tarrant County Jail in the past six weeks, including one this week, and more than 60 people have died at the Tarrant County Jail since 2017. About half of those inmates are died of natural causes, the sheriff's office said.

Activists recently called for the resignation of Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn over concerns about the management of the jail.

Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons said in a statement that “the departure of Charles Eckert, deputy chief executive officer for containment, marks an important but necessary first step in addressing the alarming increase in deaths in Tarrant County Jail.”

“Even though the longtime prison warden will be leaving after 32 years, the systemic problems at the prison remain,” Simmons said in a statement. “Ultimate responsibility for these issues lies with Sheriff Bill Waybourn.”

She called on Waybourn to “lead efforts to implement meaningful reforms that ensure the safety of people in custody and uphold their civil rights.”

“Additionally, as county leaders, my colleagues in the Commissioners Court and I bear responsibility for this outbreak of jail deaths and the Sheriff's Office's lack of adherence to standard operating procedures, processes and protocol ” Simmons' statement continued. “We must work collaboratively to ensure our facilities are safe and our staff are adequately trained to meet the highest standards of care and constitutional rights. »