Members of the City of Laredo Blue Ribbon Committee on People with Disabilities asked county officials on Sept. 17 to open a formal review of how people with disabilities are arrested, booked and processed after a recent case raised concerns.

The committee said a 21-year-old with a disability was arrested, taken to booking and placed in a cell where family members worried he did not understand what was happening. The young man was later photographed with an officer from the mental-health unit after being released on bond, committee members said, and family members described the booking as traumatic.

Committee members said the incident suggests the county’s arrest-to-jail pathway may not consistently provide disability accommodations. A committee member said deputies processed the arrest at a jurisdiction other than Laredo Police Department’s booking intake, which affected where — and how — the person was booked.

“We wanted to see if together, we could change the process,” the committee member said, summarizing the group’s concern about how the case was handled and asking the committee to pursue a change in booking procedures for people with disabilities.

Alice Cabrera of the commissioner’s office said she would relay the committee’s concerns to the commissioner and try to arrange a smaller meeting with the sheriff or sheriff’s staff. “I am here to help in whatever you all need,” Cabrera told the committee.

Cabrera and the committee discussed a first step: a one-to-one meeting that would include the commissioner, a representative of the sheriff’s office and two committee leaders. The group agreed a smaller meeting might produce a clearer operational plan than a larger forum; the commissioner’s office said it would follow up and report back at the committee’s next meeting.

Committee members also noted that the sheriff’s office has a mental-health unit and asked sheriff staff to clarify what protocols that unit follows at arrest, during transfer to jail, and at the jail intake. A county staff member said the first step is to determine the sheriff’s current protocol and “what are the steps that they have,” then identify whether local modifications are needed.

The committee did not adopt a formal motion or vote during the meeting; members described next steps as follow-up and information-gathering rather than a final policy decision. The commissioner’s office agreed to seek a meeting with the sheriff’s office and said it would notify the committee by email when a date is set.

The group asked that initial conversations be limited to the chair and vice chair plus one commissioner representative to allow focused discussion and a faster timeline. Committee members said they would prefer such a small-group meeting to take place before the committee’s next regular meeting, if possible.

The committee requested that the sheriff’s office explain current booking and jail intake protocols for people who may have intellectual or developmental disabilities, how the sheriff’s mental-health unit coordinates with Laredo Police Department arresting officers, and what accommodations — if any — are routinely made at intake to avoid confusion or prevent retraumatization.

Members said they will bring the sheriff’s response back to the full committee for further discussion and potential recommendations to the commissioner’s court.