SAN ANTONIO — A few days after an inspection found a myriad of issues at the Bexar County Jail that deemed the facility to be out of compliance with standards, the county sheriff’s office is shaking up its administrative hierarchy.
Citing “current and pervasive issues,” Sheriff Javier Salazar on Wednesday said that BCSO Chief Deputy Don Tijerina and Deputy Chief Ruben Vela won’t be holding the same leadership positions within the office.
Salazar added that while they were both asked to resign, Vela “declined the courtesy.” As a result, he “is no longer a member of the leadership team.” Meanwhile, Tijerina is now retiring at the end of March, but Wednesday will be his final working day before he assists Salazar with laying out next steps.
“This agency needs swift and decisive management,” Salazar is quoted as saying in a release. “These former members of Command Staff, while they served this agency well during their many years of service, are no longer part of my strategy and vision moving forward.”
Just last week, Vela, the jail's former acting chief, had been cleared to return to work as a deputy chief after being put on leave in January following multiple botched inmate releases.