Check on the Deputy. Then Check the Books.
Smith County accepted a state grant for deputy mental health. Good. The reported amount went from $45,000 to $120,000. Post the agreement.
By Ryan Nichols
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The deputy who works the drowning call still has to work the next call. And the one after that. Smith County just voted to check on him. Now show me the numbers.
Plain English Summary
On Tuesday, November 3, while everybody was watching the election, the Smith County Commissioners Court voted to accept a state grant for a mental health program at the Sheriff's Office. The program is called Checkpoints. It is built around a quick, regular check-in with deputies, jailers and other staff, plus a partner program and some money for counseling.
The money comes from the Peace Officer Mental Health Program, run by the Governor's Public Safety Office.
That is a good thing. I will say it plain.
But the dollar figure in the reporting changed between the application and the acceptance. Good programs deserve clean books. So let's read the record.
Why It Matters
Peace officers in East Texas carry calls home that most of us will never see.
Wrecks on 69. Kids. Bodies. Families on the worst day of their lives.
Then they clock back in and do it again.
If the county is going to spend state money to help them carry that load, the people paying for it should know what it costs, what it buys and whether it works. That is not an attack on the program. That is how you protect it.
The Receipt
DOCUMENTED INFERENCE (KLTV, December 30, 2025): The Smith County Commissioners Court voted to apply for a $45,000 grant from the governor's office for a new mental health program at the Sheriff's Office called Checkpoints. The program was described as covering the whole agency, including jailers and 911 staff. The Chief Deputy said he hoped to have it in place by the end of 2026. County Judge Neal Franklin said, "I'm so glad to see that the state has stepped in."
DOCUMENTED INFERENCE (Tyler Morning Telegraph, November 5, 2026): On November 3, 2026, the Commissioners Court unanimously voted to accept a $120,000 Fiscal Year 2027 grant from the Peace Officer Mental Health Program, run by the Texas Office of the Governor's Public Safety Office. The grant covers Checkpoints and membership in the American Warrior Association's R3 Program. Chief Deputy Jackson said about $20,000 is left for counseling, and that the grant "did reduce the counseling piece, but not tremendously." He also said, "It's a great program and we're proud to start it."
NEEDS AUTHENTICATION: Whether the $45,000 application and the $120,000 award are the same grant with a changed amount, two separate requests, or a reporting difference. I have not seen the grant agreement or the court order.
NEEDS AUTHENTICATION: The Chief Deputy's first name is reported two ways (Jimmy in KLTV, James in the Tyler paper). Small thing. The record should still get it right.
What I Say
RYAN STATEMENT: I back this.
The ones who stand on the line for us should not have to stand alone afterward.
A 15 second check-in is not a cure. Nobody claims it is. But it is a door left open, and a door left open saves people.
So here is my ask. Not to fight it. To strengthen it.
Post the grant agreement. Post the budget line by line. Tell us how much goes to the vendor, how much goes to the partner program and how much is left for actual counseling. Tell us how you will know if it works a year from now.
If the counseling piece got cut to make room for something else, say so out loud and let the public weigh it.
Same county. Same standard. The record does not lie, and a good program has nothing to hide.
What This Does Not Prove
It does not prove anyone did anything wrong.
It does not prove the money is wasted. It does not prove the program works or fails. There is no result yet. It just got approved.
It does not prove the two dollar figures are in conflict. They may be two different documents at two different stages. That is exactly why the documents should be posted.
What It Does Prove
It proves the Smith County Commissioners Court voted on November 3, 2026 to take state money for peace officer mental health, according to the local paper.
It proves the state runs a program built for this, through the governor's office.
It proves the reported amount at application and the reported amount at acceptance are not the same number, and the public has not been shown why.
The Bottom Line
Check on the deputy. Check on the jailer. Check on the dispatcher who heard it first.
Then check the books, so the program that helps them is still standing next year.
Show me the evidence. Post the agreement. Put it in the record.
Do not threaten anyone. Do not harass anyone. Do not contact anyone in my name. Read it. Share it. Send receipts, evidence, witnesses. Put eyes on the record.
Sources
You made it to the end
Most people quit at the headline. You didn’t.
So don’t stop here. Pick one.
Read the book
Fighting Shadows is the whole story in my own words: the road into January 6, the D.C. jail, and the fight to get the record out.See the book
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