FULL DISCLOSURE: White Male who recently spent a l...

FULL DISCLOSURE: White Male who recently spent a little less than 12 hours in custody at this detention center.

This place is criminally (haha jail pun) understaffed and/or mismanaged (I think a majority percentage is b/c of this reason). Inmates and their needs are OFTEN disregarded in favor of the officers/staffs propensity for social interactions with each other. I had the displeasure of observing the front office "work" for nearly 12 straight hours on the recently and it was one of the most disheartening experiences I've ever had with any law enforcement department (first being the circumstances that led to the arrest). The folks being held were not treated with respect and dignity, and that deeply saddened me. To be clear, no one was mistreated, though there was one altercation with an inmate that led to almost a 45 min "break" for everyone in the building it seemed (officers/staff came from all over the build just to WATCH as 6+ other officers actually dealt with the admittedly unruly inmate. However it still stands to reason that with the back log going on and unorganized nature of the department, it struck me as unacceptable. Most of the officers were anything but professional, however there was one that worked the front desk who seemed to have every job description in the book short of cleaning who worked his BUTT off but was only perpetually distracted by other officers questions, social prompts, and other peoples work that it seemed almost impossible for him to get his actual work done. He was the only person in that building I'd actually commend for doing his "job".

Overall, this entire experience has not only severely impacted the amount of respect and trust I have in the people who "protect and serve" us here in rural Texas, but also damaged my faith in their ability to handle a real emergency.

Be careful out there folks, I'm sure there are a lot of good eggs that work for the county, I witnessed a couple, but there are also some with painfully obvious, dangerous, egotistical, and self-serving tendencies that will prevent them from ever being able to serve their jurisdictions to their fullest ability that every citizen in America, and especially the county, expects them to serve at.