Overview
- County leaders announced Monday that Commissioners Court approved roughly $1.4–$1.5 million to fund 15 new Pretrial Services positions aimed at providing true round-the-clock monitoring.
- The county has filled three of the 15 new posts so far and says recruits need about six to seven months of training, so full 24/7 coverage will take several more months to reach maturity.
- Under new vendor protocols, Sentinel will send immediate tamper alerts, attempt a video check with the defendant, notify the presiding judge automatically, and call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office if there is no response.
- The program prioritizes domestic-violence cases by using GPS exclusion zones, feeding alerts into law enforcement’s CAD system, and offering near-real-time survivor notices through the Advocate mobile app.
- Officials said the push followed several high-profile tampering cases that exposed daytime-only gaps, including the Lee Gilley escape, and that process changes already in place have begun to reduce risks even before full staffing is finished.