SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar reported to Commissioners Court on Tuesday that the county’s Adult Detention Center is over capacity.

As of Tuesday, the jail housed 5,144 inmates, exceeding its capacity of 5,075. Salazar attributed the overflow to a recent increase in violent crime.

“We are seeing a huge increase in domestic violence crimes,” Salazar said.

In September, BCSO announced that the Homicide rate in 2024 It had already exceeded the total number of homicides reported in 2023.

As violent crimes increase, jail space is limited and BCSO is seeking help from neighboring counties.

Currently, 157 inmates are housed in Burnet and Kerr counties, 68 in Kerr County and another 89 in Burnet. Housing these inmates comes at a cost: BCSO pays between $65 and $85 per inmate per day.

The sheriff’s office has been in talks with other counties about additional overflow support, but Salazar said he would prefer to focus on reducing costs for taxpayers.

“We don’t lack resources. We could definitely find other counties; again, in the interest of being good stewards of taxpayer money, I would prefer to have them housed here if we could afford it,” Salazar said.

Salazar also raised the issue of inmates needing mental health or rehabilitation services.

“We also have too many people at any given time, several hundred who should be in a mental health bed, but there is no one to send them to,” Salazar said.

Additionally, Salazar told commissioners that about 200 inmates are ready to be transferred to the state prison but have not been apprehended as quickly as expected.

According to the Texas Administrative CodeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice must pick up inmates sentenced to prison within 45 days of sentencing. If TDCJ does not take custody within 45 days, it will reimburse the county for each additional day of confinement.

Salazar mentioned that while inmates are generally picked up within the established time frame, reducing the waiting period to 10 or 15 days could help alleviate capacity issues.

As the jail continues to operate above capacity, Salazar is requesting additional funding from the commissioners to cover BCSO’s overtime costs.