The Tarrant County Sheriff is defending his jail amid protests and calls for change from community members at Tarrant County Commissioners Court on Tuesday.The contentious meeting came after two more inmate deaths in December.

A group of conservative Second Amendment activists joined the calls for accountability in the Sheriff’s Office that progressive groups have been making for years.

The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office announced it has hired the head of Dallas County jails to oversee its own operations.

During the first meeting of the year at Tarrant County Commissioner’s Court, emotions ran high as Sheriff Bill Waybourn along with other officials gave an update about recent jail deaths. Two people were arrested during the meeting after the sheriff’s office said they disrupted court proceedings.

FORT WORTH – The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office has appointed a new chief jailer to oversee a facility that has faced significant criticism for the high number of inmate deaths in recent years.

In May, executive chief deputy Charles Eckert announced his retirement. Eckert had been with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office for 32 years. Eckert told the Star-Telegram that his retirement was unrelated to recent deaths in the jail.

Almost 70 people have died in Tarrant County custody since 2017. They were remembered at a protest Friday evening.