Tarrant County sheriff asks for policy review, body cameras after jailers indicted for murder

The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office wants to obtain body cameras for every detention officer and conduct a comprehensive third-party review of their policies, months after the death of a prisoner was ruled a homicide.

Anthony Johnson Jr. died on April 21 after an altercation with jail staffwho pepper sprayed him and restrained him face-down on the ground. Johnson told them he couldn’t breathe as a jailer knelt on his back, video of the incident shows.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Johnson’s death was a homicide by mechanical and chemical asphyxiation. Two jailers involved in the altercation now await trial for murder, and more are being sued by Johnson’s family.

Commissioners gave the sheriff’s office the go-ahead to pursue these programs, voting 4-0 Tuesday, with Republican County Commissioner Manny Ramirez absent.

Ramirez praised the reforms before he left the meeting early, saying he had a previous speaking engagement.

“I’m very pleased that the Sheriff’s Office has decided to go seek a third-party firm to come in and do a comprehensive review of those policies, so we can ensure best practices,” he said.

The request for a third-party policy review comes after KERA reported the Sherriff’s Office has not updated its use-of-force policies in more than a decade. Records obtained by the Fort Worth Report and KERA show a lieutenant drafted overarching policy updates in 2021 that were never put into place.

Sheriff’s Office Chief Jennifer Gabbert told county commissioners Tuesday the initiatives they approved have been in the works for “months or years.”

“We’re hoping with new court that is interested in kind of going outside of the previous comfort zones, that some of this would come to fruition for us,” she said.

A press release from Ramirez’s office outlined other initiatives the Sheriff’s Office is working on, including a national search for the new jail administrator. The previous top jail official, Charles Eckert, retired shortly after Johnson’s death.

The Sheriff’s Office also plans to streamline background investigations to fill open jailer positions more quickly, according to the press release. The jail has struggled with understaffing for years.

The press release and the Commissioners Court agenda items did not lay out a timeline for when these proposals would be implemented.

KERA reached out to the Sheriff’s Office with an interview request.

Bishop Mark Kirkland told KERA he doesn’t have much faith in these proposed reforms. He’s the pastor at Greater St. Mark Ministries and a frequent speaker on jail issues at Commissioners Court.

Kirkland pointed out cases where Black Americans have been killed by police, and those killings were caught on camera, like the deaths of Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor.

“We have all of these recordings. What is it doing for my people? What justice are we getting?” he said.

Deaths and allegations of mistreatment and neglect in the Tarrant County Jail have drawn attention and condemnation for years. More than 60 people have died in county custody since 2017, when Sheriff Bill Waybourn took office.

The county has paid out at least $2.8 million in jail lawsuit settlements. The largest lawsuit settlement in county history — $1.2 million — went to Chasity Congiouswho gave birth unattended in her cell. Her baby died 10 days later.

Several more lawsuits are working their way through the courts, including one from Johnson’s family.

Some community members, and Democratic Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, have called on Waybourn to resign.

Republican commissioners, including Ramirez and County Judge Tim O’Hare, have been steady in their support for Waybournwho is running for reelection in November.

Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at [email protected]. You can follow Miranda on X @MirandaRSuarez.

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