Officials warn Bee County must improve CJIS record closure to meet state grant requirements

County officials warned Monday that Bee County is behind on a state record-closure requirement tied to Criminal Justice Information Services and associated state grants, and urged departments to coordinate to avoid jeopardizing funding.

"We are under the 90% requirement," Judge Bauer told the court, describing an annual requirement to have cases closed to a 90% threshold on a trailing five-year period. He said judges and state authorities have begun to notice the county’s shortfall.

Why it matters: A persistent CJIS backlog can affect the county’s eligibility for state grants. County officials described the task as largely administrative — an accounting and records-closure process that requires interdepartmental research and follow-up rather than a change to law enforcement operations.

Discussion details - The county judge (Judge Bauer) and other officials said the issue is a recurring, seasonal problem that intensifies around grant reporting cycles. The judge said the county typically has until late July or early August to meet the target for the trailing five-year period, and that the work can become time-consuming because some records require multi-office research. - Court staff and elected officials were directed to identify internal best practices and to contact existing county staff who have institutional knowledge of the CJIS process; the judge suggested staff reach out to Andy or Sharon (county contacts named in the meeting) for guidance. - Commissioners and staff discussed possible procedural changes and outreach to peer counties and the Texas Association of Counties (TAC) as models for improving processes.

Quotes - "We have to be 90% closed on the trailing five-year period," Judge Bauer said, summarizing the standard the county must meet. - An official in the meeting noted the work as "a bookkeeping accounting function" and distinguished it from prosecutorial or judicial decision-making, saying the tasks are often labor-intensive and can require cross-departmental research.

Clarifying details - Requirement: The court described the requirement as a trailing five-year closure standard tied to CJIS reporting and state grant compliance; officials said county staff usually intensify work in June–July to reach the 90% target. - Causes: Officials attributed delays to high volume, time-intensive research on certain case records and the occasional need for documents from multiple offices (sheriff, district attorney, county clerk and city police). Staffing and the nature of the work — not lack of effort — were cited as contributing factors.

Direction from court - County leadership offered the judge’s office and county administration support to departments and encouraged using TAC and neighboring counties as process models. No formal policy change was adopted; the item was informational and generated direction to staff rather than a formal vote.

Next steps - The judge indicated a plan to have a follow-up presentation at an upcoming commissioner court meeting (a district judge or clerk will present more details). County staff were asked to coordinate internally and reach out to named contacts for assistance.

Ending: Commissioners framed the matter as solvable with procedural improvements and interdepartmental cooperation, and encouraged early action to avoid the annual rush near reporting deadlines.