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Joe Corley: Hall of Fame Sheriff

by Robin Montgomery      
 
Raised in the SamHouston National Forest in Northwest Montgomery County, Joe Corley spent his youth “cow-hunting” with his Dad on the free range system of the day. By the age of nine, mounted on his faithful horse, “Ole Paint”, he was calf-roping in the local rodeos. He would go on to become a star athlete in basketball and baseball. And for his accomplishments as sheriff of Montgomery County from 1980 to 1992, Joe Corley would see his name placed in the National Police Hall of Fame.

The motivation for a political career occurred while Joe was the ranch foreman of the J-D Ranch in Dacus and, along with his wife, Judy, raising three children. Upon serving two terms on the Board of Trustees of
Montgomery Independent School District he became a county commissioner, serving an area stretching from the Woodlands to Montgomery. Joe would become the only person in MontgomeryCounty history to leave a commissioner’s position to win election to the office of sheriff.
 
Joe Corley became sheriff at perhaps the most critical time in the history of the position in Montgomery County. The top two floors of the courthouse constituted the county jail, with only fifty beds. Even then,
following the rule to categorize prisoners according to type of crime, ten percent of the beds were held in reserve.
 
So difficult were the problems of overcrowding that the county took part in a pilot program termed “field release.” The practice allowed perpetrators of minor crimes to sign their own bond, with promise to attend
court when called. Should the signer not make the promised court date, his punishment was severe.
 
Thus was the situation as Montgomery Countytranscended from a rural to an urban area, with population increasing rapidly.  In spite of the growth scenario, so atrocious were the conditions that the Texas Commission on Jail Standards voted to shut down the Conroejail. With Joe, at the time newly elected
as sheriff, in attendance at the session the commission reviewed its decision, giving him sixty days to make fundamental changes.

Over the sixty-day period Joe made 42 different presentations to an eclectic array of groups. The result: a $13.6 million bond issue was passed. Joe would have his new jail, a state of the art model facility, and he would become one of the only two sheriffs in the state allowed to represent their profession on the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
 
On October 22, 2008, a major component of the Law Enforcement Complex which he had pioneered officially received the name, “Joe Corley Detention Facility.”
              
Now retired to their beloved home nestled deep in the Sam Houston National Forest, Joe and Judy entertain much company while Joe continues to stay abreast of the cattle business. But the couple’s greatest pleasure lies in their church work.

Thank you.


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