Editing Dallas County, Texas (section)

====County services====
[[File:Parkland Nima 1.jpg|thumb|Parkland Memorial Hospital]]
The [[Parkland Health & Hospital System]] (Dallas County Hospital District) operates the [[Parkland Memorial Hospital]] and various health centers.

The Commissioners' Court meets the first and third Tuesday at the Commissioners' Courtroom located in the [[Texas School Book Depository|Dallas County Administration Building]] at 411 Elm St., corner of Elm and Houston streets. The building was the headquarters of the Texas School Book Depository Company until 1970. In 1963 assassin [[Lee Harvey Oswald]] shot President [[John F. Kennedy]] from a window located on the sixth floor which today houses the [[Sixth Floor Museum]] dedicated to the late president's memory.

Acts of the commissioners court are known as 'court orders'. These orders include setting county policies and procedures, issuing contracts, authorizing expenditures, and managing county resources and departments. Most importantly, the commissioners court sets the annual tax rate and the budget for Dallas County government and the courts. The commissioners also set the tax rate and budget for the Dallas County Hospital District which operates [[Parkland Hospital]].

The commissioners court has direct control over all county offices and departments not otherwise administered by a county elected official. Those departments include Dallas County Elections, Health and Human Services, Facilities Management, Parks and Open Space Program, I.T. Services, Homeland Security and Emergency Services, among others. Through their budget making powers, the commissioners exercise indirect control over the District Attorney's office, Sheriff, District Clerk, County Clerk and County Treasurer. The commissioners also set the budget for each of the District, County, and Justice courts.

Dallas County employs a commissioners court administrator who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the commissioners court and implementing the Dallas County Master Plan and the directives of the commissioners court. The current commissioners court administrator is Darryl Martin who was hired by the commissioners in 2008.

[[File:Dallas County Jail 111 W Commerce Street.jpg|thumb|Dallas County Jail, 111 West Commerce Street]]
Dallas County operates several jail facilities. They include:<ref>"[http://www.dallassheriffsoffice.com/intro/main/detentions/jail_information.html Jail Information]." ''Dallas County Sheriff's Office''. Accessed September 14, 2008.</ref>
* 111 Riverfront Blvd (Dallas)
** North Tower Jail
** South Tower Jail - also known as the "Suzanne Kays Tower"
** West Tower Jail
* Government Center Jail - 600 Commerce Street (Dallas)
* Decker Detention Center - 899 North [[Stemmons Freeway]] (Dallas)
* (formerly) Suzanne Kays Jail - 521 North Industrial Boulevard (Dallas) - population integrated into the South Tower; demolished to clear way for the [[Trinity River Project]]<ref>Krause, Kevin. [http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/04/suzanne-kays-jail-to-close-in.html Suzanne Kays jail to close in Dallas this week] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301181300/http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/04/suzanne-kays-jail-to-close-in.html |date=March 1, 2012}}." ''[[The Dallas Morning News]]''. April 14, 2009. Retrieved on June 3, 2013.</ref>

The [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]] operates the [[Hutchins State Jail]] for men in an unincorporated area adjacent to [[Hutchins, Texas|Hutchins]].<ref>"[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/hj.htm HUTCHINS (HJ)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080923221143/http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/hj.htm |date=September 23, 2008}}." ''[[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]''. Accessed September 14, 2008.</ref> [[Corrections Corporation of America]] operates the [[Dawson Unit]], a co-gender state jail in [[Downtown Dallas]], under contract.<ref>"[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory/jd.html DAWSON (JD)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603165803/http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory/jd.html |date=June 3, 2013}}." ''[[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]''. Retrieved on June 3, 2013.</ref>

[[Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville]], is located in [[Seagoville, Texas|Seagoville]].