The Discovery Channel planned to film a
documentary at a Dallas
county jail but their plan was blocked by a judge this week. Dallas County
Sheriff Lupe Valdez said that the Discovery Channel has changed plans and will
not do a documentary about the jail after the judge’s decision, the Associated
Press reported.
Dallas county commissioners had asked for a temporary restraining order to
halt the filming by the cable television channel. They said that Sheriff Lupe
Valdez, who had approved of the documentary, should have asked their permission
before taking that decision. They raised concerns about outside access to the
jail, inmate privacy and possible security breaches, the AP reported.
On the other hand, District Attorney Craig
Watkins says Valdez
has the authority to allow the filming for the one-hour television documentary,
according to the same source. The sheriff admitted the decision was hers and
said she never intended to cause disruption. The county is under a federal
court order to improve conditions at the lockup.
“We had hoped that the documentary would be
a great opportunity to make the jail more transparent,” Lupe Valdez said in a
statement, explaining her decision. “Our only intent was to bring positive
attention to the accomplishments of this department, its employees and Dallas County,”
she added.
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