Dallas, TX
Cyberattacks are now the norm. Transparency is part of the response
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/TMF3FGXUV5DZTPBV3VB4TQPEBM.jpg "Cyberattacks are now the norm. Transparency is part of the response")
Cyberattacks are now part of our daily lives, and local governments are a recurrent target. In our own area, it is increasingly clear from the last months that we are past the “if” and have to accept it’s a matter of “when.” Hacking incidents are now inevitable. What local governments do to avert them is just as important as what they do when they actually occur.
As we learned this week, Dallas County has been dealing with its own cybersecurity incident. It is our hope that officials there can draw some lessons from the city’s ransomware attack last April, an incident that was much larger and more damaging than we were originally led to believe.
Dallas County administrators should have a playbook of do’s and don’ts stemming from the city’s experience. Dealing with the technical and criminal response is important, but keeping your constituents well-informed post-incident is vital.
So far, the county has not said much about the breach, but at stake is crucial information for county governance, like court case records, prison data and even residents’ health data. County officials did not answer our questions, but they directed us to a website where they promised more details, as they become available, as well as constant updates and transparency. We hope this is the case.
“While our goal is to be transparent and forthcoming with information relating to the incident, we do not want to make premature assumptions about the extent of impact or other details, which may evolve as the forensic investigation advances,” says the statement in the website.
A group called Play is now claiming responsibility for hacking Dallas County, and it is promising to publish information soon. County officials believe, however, that they have limited the breach thanks to security measures they took. We still don’t know, however, if departments and people whose information was compromised have been contacted.
“It appears at this time that the incident has been successfully contained and that Dallas County’s systems are secure for use,” according to the same statement.
If this is true, Dallas County may be in better shape than other organizations, a cybersecurity expert told our newsroom colleague Josephine Peterson.
Back in August, we criticized the city of Dallas for its handling of the April cyberattack after we learned months later that the information from thousands of employees and residents was compromised.
Cybersecurity is a smart investment for local governments and businesses, but we are still on the learning curve. Dallas County should remain vigilant, as there are still many unknowns.
The truth is bad actors are getting smarter and keeping up with the technology is just one part of the defense strategy. Keeping your residents well-informed and prepared is equally important.
We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday that Shannon Herklotz, who has overseen the Dallas County jail system for just under two years, was hired to oversee its own jail operations.
The role Herklotz stepped into has been vacant since May, following a retirement. The former chief deputy’s retirement came as the jail is facing rising scrutiny over in-custody deaths, including one that led to a criminal investigation and the arrest of two jailers.
Herklotz, 54, joined Dallas County in February 2023 after leaving Harris County, where he managed operations at the Harris County Jail in Houston — the largest county jail system in Texas.
Before then, he worked at the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, the state regulator responsible for overseeing county jails and privately operated jails in the state.
“Shannon brings more than three decades of detention experience to TCSO and we are lucky to have him,” Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn said in a news release announcing the hire. Waybourn has pushed back on criticism over the in-custody deaths, saying many were the result of natural causes.
A spokesperson for the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond Monday afternoon to a request for comment about Herklotz’s departure.
A Tarrant County spokesperson said Herklotz would not be made available for interviews Monday.
Herklotz left Dallas County in December and joined Tarrant County earlier this month, according to Texas Commission on Law Enforcement records.
Herklotz began his career in 1990 as a correctional officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which oversees the state’s prison system.
Herklotz joined the Texas Commission on Jail Standards in 1998 as a field inspector for South Texas and was promoted to assistant director of inspections and jail management in 2007, according to a bio on the Dallas County sheriff’s website.
The Sam Houston State University graduate was inducted into the Texas Jail Association Hall of Fame in 2009 and received the association’s President’s Award in 2019, according to the release and the bio.
Herklotz, after more than 20 years with the commission, joined the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in 2021. He remained there until January 2023, when he told the sheriff he would resign.
In a letter obtained and published by the Houston Chronicle, Herklotz told Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez that he pushed himself to “new limits” in the role, but the results were “not always what I/we expected.”
Herklotz had recently been demoted and forced to take a salary cut, the Chronicle reported. The downtown jail, among other issues, was facing overcrowding and was shipping some inmates to facilities in West Texas and Louisiana.
“I have no regrets and there is very little that I would change,” Herklotz wrote in the 2023 resignation letter to Gonzalez. “However, I feel that you and [Chief Deputy Mike Lee] want to move in a new direction and I do not feel as I have a place in that vision. I respect your decision[s].”
Herklotz’s rationale for leaving Dallas County was not immediately clear Monday, but reporting by KERA suggests compensation was a factor.
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price told the station that the county could not match the compensation package Tarrant County had offered Herklotz.
As of November 2023, Herklotz was making an annual salary of more than $158,600, according to personnel records obtained by The Dallas Morning News in a records request.
The Tarrant County spokesperson did not provide Herklotz’s new annual salary and advised The News to submit a records request seeking that information.
Herklotz has assumed the role previously held by Charles Eckert, the former chief deputy overseeing Tarrant County’s jail operations. His departure came shortly after the death of Anthony Johnson Jr.
In April, Johnson, 31, died after a struggle in which a jailer kneeled on his back and used pepper spray on him. Two jailers are facing murder charges in connection to the death, which the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office ruled as homicide caused by chemical and mechanical asphyxiation.
Johnson’s death sparked criticism and spotlighted an increase in in-custody deaths at the Tarrant County jail.
Eckert said his decision to retire was not a result of the mounting criticism over in-custody jail deaths — the majority of which he and Waybourn, the sheriff, have attributed to natural causes.
“We had the one where we had the two officers who acted unprofessionally and, in my opinion, violated the law, but, the others, it’s just a sad fact of life,” Eckert told The News at the time.
Some deaths have resulted in civil lawsuits against the county that were settled out of court. Last year, the county moved to pay out more than $2 million in settlements, including a $1.2 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by the family of a woman whose baby died 10 days after she gave birth in the jail.
The Dallas Cowboys have officially decided to part ways with Mike McCarthy, who has arguably been the team’s best head coach in the last two decades.
Dallas faces the challenge of finding a new leader to guide the franchise to glory. Given McCarthy’s track record, there’s hope that the Cowboys already have a few viable candidates in mind
One name that stands out is Kellen Moore, a former Cowboys quarterback and offensive coordinator. Moore has familiarity with the organization, which could make him an ideal candidate.
MORE: 4 candidates to replace Mike McCarthy as Cowboys head coach
Over the last two seasons, Moore has had stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles.
His time with the Chargers was brief, lasting only the 2023 season, but in 2024, he joined the Eagles, where he helped orchestrate the NFL’s top-ranked rushing attack. His impact was evident as Philadelphia secured a playoff win against the Green Bay Packers.
MORE: Cowboys missed out on Hall of Fame coach by Jerry Jones dragging his feet
Moore had several seasons in Dallas where the Cowboys boasted one of the league’s top offenses in terms of points per game, and his close relationship with quarterback Dak Prescott would make for a smooth transition.
Given his success with the Eagles’ offense and his proven track record in Dallas, Moore could be an excellent candidate to lead the Cowboys into their next chapter.
The Cowboys certainly dropped the ball with their decision regarding Mike McCarthy. Not only have they parted ways with McCarthy at a crucial time, but they’ve also missed the window to interview Kellen Moore this past week.
Now, Dallas will have to wait for the opportunity to speak with Moore, potentially complicating their coaching search.
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Associated Press
Dallas Stars (27-14-1, in the Central Division) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (27-15-2, in the Atlantic Division)
Toronto; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Dallas Stars face off in a non-conference matchup.
Toronto has a 17-8-0 record at home and a 27-15-2 record overall. The Maple Leafs have gone 25-2-1 in games they score at least three goals.
Dallas is 11-9-0 in road games and 27-14-1 overall. The Stars have a 21-3-0 record when scoring three or more goals.
The teams meet Tuesday for the second time this season. The Maple Leafs won 5-3 in the previous meeting. William Nylander led the Maple Leafs with two goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell Marner has scored 14 goals with 45 assists for the Maple Leafs. John Tavares has five goals and five assists over the past 10 games.
Matt Duchene has 16 goals and 22 assists for the Stars. Jamie Benn has scored six goals with four assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Maple Leafs: 6-4-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 5.3 assists, 2.7 penalties and 6.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
Stars: 8-1-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.8 assists, 2.3 penalties and 4.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.
INJURIES: Maple Leafs: None listed.
Stars: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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