Dallas County's juvenile detention center director says that staff changes have led to a 90 percent drop in violence.
Lynn Hadnot said changing shifts from eight to 12 hours strengthened staff and calmed juvenile residents, which has resulted in fewer incidents.
"That captures both," Hadnot said. "So we're talking about violent incidents. We're talking about youth on youth assaultive behaviors and assaultive behaviors — any assaultive behavior —that we have to report as a serious violent incident, we've reduced that number by 90 percent."
Hadnot also commented on an assault that left supervision officer Hector Garcia's with a shattered his face and required a permanent metal plate around his eye.
"I can confirm that an incident occurred on April 28, 2025, involving one of our staff members and a youth," he said in a statement. "...our thoughts are with our employee, who is receiving support and care. The safety and wellbeing of our team members and the youth entrusted to our care is our highest priority."
Hadnot said that changes he implemented last July were not related to attacks on two officers in April.
Hadnot's statement said the juvenile department "maintains a zero-tolerance policy to acts of violence. All assaultive conduct, regardless of alleged perpetrator, is promptly referred to local law enforcement for criminal investigation, coupled with immediate safety and security interventions as prescribed in departmental policy and applicable law."
Garcia said he believes understaffing greatly contributes to assaults among residents and against the staff, whether intentional or accidental.
He was one officer supervising 12 juvenile residents.
During a separate incident, he broke up one fight and while restraining them, another fight started on the other side of the room before help arrived.
"So what can you do about that?" he asked.
Hadnot says the shift change helps.
"They would no longer be required to have these mandatory overtime shifts that were leaving all of our staff overextended and exhausted," he said. "So they didn't have much left to pour back into our kids in our facilities, but also they were missing out on significant time with their own personal families."
It also cuts down money spent paying for overtime.
That will save the department $800,000 dollars in overtime, according to a county budget team forecast.
"The feedback we've gotten directly from our staff is they are loving the stability," Hadnot said. "Now they're able to know 'Hey look, I'm going to do my three days one week and then I'm off for four days in a row that I can spend with my family or I can get an additional part-time job if [I'd] like.'"
While attacks may be relatively rare, Garcia is not the only Dallas County detention officer who's been seriously injured on the job recently.
In another case, a female Dallas County juvenile detention officer was put in a coma at Parkland Hospital after a juvenile resident allegedly assaulted her last April — before Garcia's incident.
"Across the board for the juvenile justice system, being understaffed is just not conducive for really helping and supporting kids who were coming from hard places."
Garcia is among thousands of staff members at state-wide juvenile facilities who have been attacked in recent years.
Serious incidents must be reported to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. That agency's data indicates more than 1,400 juvenile assaults on staff were reported statewide from 2022-2023, more than 1,900 in 2024 and nearly 900 from January to August 2025.
Hadnot, who marked one year with the county on Feb. 10, said in his statement that procedure was followed.
"The matter has been reported to the appropriate authorities, and we are cooperating fully with their investigation," he said. "As this is now a police matter and information involving youth and juvenile delinquency are confidential pursuant to the Texas Family Code, we are unable to provide further details in this matter."
State Senate Bill 1727 had aimed to address violence involving detainees at juvenile facilities during the last legislative session, but ultimately failed.
Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, authored the bill, which targets procedures for delinquent conduct committed by someone in custody at a juvenile facility. Neither Perry nor his staff returned multiple requests for comment by KERA.
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