(August 27, 2008)

ROBSTOWN-- Colonia leaders are worried about a warning system for a new private prison in the Robstown area. Specifically, the lack of a warning system. Today, some of those nearby residents said they want to make sure a siren is in place to alert the surrounding neighborhood, if an inmate escapes.

Colonia leaders will hold a meeting for area residents to talk about this issue. They tell us they won't take no for an answer for a siren system.

The lcs private prison in robstown will open up in mid-October, but colonia leaders said there are six communities around here with about 5,000 residents. So far, there has been no talk of a warning system for a prison escape.

"We want to know if anyone ever escapes, we want to know now, right now," said Lionel Lopez, who is a colonia activist in Nueces County. 

They want the prison to put in a siren system and to call residents living around the private prison, just in case there's an escape.

"Either those two systems would be good because not all the people in the colonias have telephones," Lopez said.

The prison warden said they will have three perimeter fences surrounding the 250,000 square foot prison, housing about a 1,000 prisoners. They have a plan in place just in case there's an escape.

"(Officers)will go around with a mobile patrol and officers talking to public and let them know what's going on," said Art Crews, LCS Coastal Bend Detention Center Prison Warden. "We'll have a Sheriff's substation. Nueces County Sheriff's will have a substation here at the prison itself."

The warden said if the residents want a siren system, they'll put it in.

"Prevention is the key up front, but if they want sirens then we can talk about sirens and work things out," Crews said. 

Colonia residents will discuss this issue on Thursday at a meeting at the Calderon Building in Robstown at 6 pm. After that, a decision will be made on what to do about the siren system.

--Manuel De La Rosa, Area 3 News, mdelarosa@kiiitv.com