In an exclusive interview with KENS 5, the sheriff announced a new program to train jailers as emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
So far this year, KENS 5 has reported on 11 deaths at the Bexar County Jail. The latest death happened this past Tuesday.
He said Tuesday’s death involved a 63-year-old inmate named Ed Penix who was experiencing homelessness, had mental health issues, and had untreated diabetes. He said he was arrested for sleeping on a bench but instead of being booked into jail, Salazar said he should have been taken to a hospital. “Whenever we notice an inmate in distress physically you know we have to call for medical and this is just an extra added measure to cover until such time as medical gets there,” Salazar said.“This pack that I have in front of me, this is actually something that probably very few, if any other jails in the state of Texas are doing,” Salazar said. “There’s clotting agents, there’s tourniquets in here, a lot of trauma related stuff.
“If that charge is something that’s relatively minor perhaps, we reject that person for mental health reasons and ask that arresting officer to go them to a hospital facility because we don’t need them at the jail,” Salazar said.
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