DALLAS — As a state investigation of the Dallas County Juvenile Justice Department proceeds and two Dallas government departments iron out their differences in court, the workers at the center of it are speaking out for the first time.
And they say are not happy about being a punching bag in the middle of a political fight.
"The Dallas County Juvenile Justice Department has, in my opinion, come under vicious attacks that include the questioning of our integrity," said Vernetta Kinnard, a Dallas County Juvenile Department employee as she spoke at Dallas County Commissioners Court on Tuesday morning.
The brewing controversies and debates that have employees feeling targeted started earlier this year when Commissioner John Wiley Price was voted off the Juvenile Board after serving as a member of the oversight leadership team for 20 years. Commissioner Andrew Sommerman was appointed in his place as complaints surfaced from parents about alleged improper treatment of their children during juvenile detention.
Commissioners requested juvenile records, including staffing, from the Juvenile Department to investigate what might be leading to the complaints. The Juvenile Department refused, citing state law and the protection of the identity of the minors involved. County Commissioners filed suit asking a judge to decide.
And July 12, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department Office of Inspector General "initiated an investigation, in part from information provided by the Dallas County Juvenile Probation Department, complaints, and inspection findings by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department's Monitoring and Inspections Division. The OIG investigation is a broad review of neglect allegations associated with the detention of juveniles within the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center."
Darryl Beatty, Director of the Dallas County Juvenile Probation Department responded by saying "the Dallas County Juvenile Department has been notified that the TJJD Office of Inspection General has initiated an investigation and as always, my staff will be open and transparent with all requests by the OIG"
Tuesday morning, Kinnard and a dozen other Juvenile Department employees let Dallas County Commissioners know that all of these developments are reflecting badly on them: the people actually doing the front-line work.
"I think that they are brow-beating us quite a bit, yes," Kinnard said of the on-going debate. "We get stopped in grocery stores, church, always asking questions what are y'all doing to the kids. We want everybody to know that we do wonderful things at the Juvenile Department and it's not about neglecting children."
"I don't see you as the enemy I see you as our teammates," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins in response.
"If you have gotten the impression that I or anyone on this court is trying to hurt you, it is not true. It is simply not true. It is quite the opposite," said Sommerman.
"It sounds good," Price said, "but I'm just telling you in terms of the atmosphere, it doesn't look good."
Some of the Juvenile Department employees who spoke at Commissioners Court made it clear that they want Price re-appointed to the Juvenile Board.
Meanwhile the state investigation is underway. The Office of Inspector General telling WFAA that "the OIG Investigation is ongoing, and investigators are moving forward as fast as possible. We cannot project at this time when it will conclude."
But as the Juvenile Department workers left Commissioners Court Tuesday morning, they paused, held hands, stood in a circle, bowed their heads and prayed that answers, and less politics, will be found soon.