The Chief Deputy who helped improve Dallas County jail enough to pass recent jail inspections recently accepted a top position with Tarrant County’s jail.
Shannon Herklotz, Detention Services Chief Deputy, left Dallas last month to become Tarrant County’s day-to-day operations jail administrator.
Though Tarrant has not announced his hiring, Dallas County commissioners recognized Herklotz during the regular meeting Dec. 17.
Commissioner John Wiley Price informed the court then that it was Herklotz’s last day in Dallas.
Price said he would’ve liked Herklotz to stay, but Dallas County couldn’t match Tarrant County’s compensation offer.
“They understand that they're in trouble,” he said.
Nearly 70 people have died in Tarrant County jail custody in seven years.
Tarrant County has paid more than $4.3 million in lawsuit settlements since 2022 for alleged prisoner abuse and medical neglect.
Herklotz previously worked at Harris County’s jail.
He resigned from that job in January 2023, after a record number of custody deaths in 2022, according to Houston Public Media.
He spent two decades — most of his career — at the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
He joined the Dallas County Sheriff's Office in 2023.
Dallas County officials hope to fill its vacant position by spring, Price said.
Shannon Herklotz, Dallas County's former Detention Services Chief Deputy, is Tarrant County's new day-to-day operations jail administrator.
Herklotz implemented and left behind a plan to continue his improvements, Price said.
“He left us in a state where we can get through the second quarter,” he said.
Herklotz has shared a replacement recommendation for Sheriff Marian Brown to pursue.
“He’ll know whether the person has what Dallas County needs,” Price said.
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