Tarrant County residents demanded details surrounding the first jail death of the year at Tuesday’s commissioners court meeting — but left with none, amid a recent policy change prohibiting commissioners from requesting information on in-custody deaths.
Commissioners can no longer request briefings on certain topics during commissioners court meetings — including jail deaths, ongoing law enforcement investigations, active criminal prosecutions or active lawsuits — after the court’s Republican majority approved a new policy in February. Commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles Jr., both Democrats, voted against the proposal.
Tuesday’s meeting was the first time the public received no official acknowledgement of a jail death as part of the county commissioners court meeting agenda…