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Statement from Judge Hidalgo on Appointment of Chief of Detention Shannon Kerklotz

Jan 6th, 2021

“The creation of a Chief of Detentions post is a consequential turning point for our jail and for Harris County. Meaningful reform to our criminal justice system means taking stock of our entire system, from top to bottom. The responsibility of running a jail isn’t simply about making sure people can’t get out - it’s about ensuring that processes are efficient and fair, that jail staff are safe, and that people leaving our custody leave at least as well as they came in. As a law enforcement official, it takes guts to step up and take transformative actions like this one and I applaud Sheriff Gonzalez for taking action to make our law enforcement system more effective. I welcome Shannon Herklotz to his new post and look forward to working with his team to continue our work to build a fairer, smarter criminal justice system.”