San Jacinto County officials have been dealing with a serious public safety issue since at least 2018: the unreliability of its emergency radio system. Deputies who use the system often face communication breakdowns, leaving them and the public vulnerable in critical situations.
The problem came to light during the 2023 shooting of Francisco Oropeza's five neighbors, which sparked a manhunt for an armed suspect with no guarantee of reliable communication between responding officers or dispatchers.
Despite growing concerns, county commissioners failed to declare the system an emergency in 2024. Two years later, officials still claim that a fix is far off, despite receiving part of a $9.5 million grant from the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) to improve radio systems across five counties.
The grant was supposed to address the issue by mid-2028, but county leaders are now warning that progress may not meet expectations due to funding constraints in a rural state with limited tax revenue. Chief Deputy Stanley Jolly is cautiously optimistic about the upcoming upgrade, which will utilize existing towers to deploy repeaters and restore communication.
However, the delay raises questions about the reliability of public safety services in San Jacinto County. "They're going to use existing towers to put the repeaters on, which is fine," Jolly said. "It gets the job done, we're just waiting to see what happens."
The problem came to light during the 2023 shooting of Francisco Oropeza's five neighbors, which sparked a manhunt for an armed suspect with no guarantee of reliable communication between responding officers or dispatchers.
Despite growing concerns, county commissioners failed to declare the system an emergency in 2024. Two years later, officials still claim that a fix is far off, despite receiving part of a $9.5 million grant from the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) to improve radio systems across five counties.
The grant was supposed to address the issue by mid-2028, but county leaders are now warning that progress may not meet expectations due to funding constraints in a rural state with limited tax revenue. Chief Deputy Stanley Jolly is cautiously optimistic about the upcoming upgrade, which will utilize existing towers to deploy repeaters and restore communication.
However, the delay raises questions about the reliability of public safety services in San Jacinto County. "They're going to use existing towers to put the repeaters on, which is fine," Jolly said. "It gets the job done, we're just waiting to see what happens."
I'm so worried about the deputies and public safety in San Jacinto County! 
It's crazy that the emergency radio system has been unreliable for years and still no fix is in sight! 
The grant from DETCOG was supposed to be a huge help, but funding constraints are throwing everything off track 
. I hope Chief Deputy Jolly's optimism is justified and that the upgrade actually works as planned 
. But until then, my heart goes out to those who have to rely on this system in critical situations 
. Can't wait for a real update on when we can expect some real progress 
!
. I mean, come on, a 9.5 million dollar grant and it's still gonna take until mid 2028 to fix the radio system? 
What even is that? 
And now they're saying funding constraints are gonna hold them back? 
Like what's the plan B? 
It just feels like they're kicking the can down the road. 
The county commissioners need to step up their game and prioritize public safety, you know? 
At least chief deputy Jolly is being realistic about it all, but it still stings knowing our first responders have been dealing with this issue for years 
I mean, come on! We've been hearing about this emergency radio system issue since 2018 and now it's 2025 and still no fix? That's like, woah 
Like, what if there's an actual emergency happening right now and our deputies are stuck in the dark? 
It's crazy that they're warning us about funding constraints and all that jazz... shouldn't we be worried about people's lives instead of budget talk? 
! What even is the point of having a grant if they're not gonna follow through on the promised timeline? And Chief Deputy Jolly is just so calm about it like "oh, we'll get by with existing towers"... noooo dude that's not good enough! We need to know our deputies are safe and can communicate effectively in emergency situations. How can they expect to trust them?! 
. And what really gets me is that it takes a mass shooting to bring attention to this issue...unbelievable 
this is wild how they been dealin with this emergency radio system issue since 2018 and still can't get it right 
this is not just about them deputies and public safety, its about the community trust and safety 
.
and now theyre warning us that progress might be slow due to funding issues