Friday, December 14, 2012

Texas police misconduct roundup

It's been awhile since I visited the CATO Institute's National Police Misconduct Reporting Project site. Noticing quite a few Texas cases in their daily roundups, I compiled some recent ones here:
  • Nassau Bay, Texas: A police officer was accused of stealing cash and tampering with narcotics evidence from the department’s property room. ow.ly/g0Sob
  • Update: Houston, Texas: The Department of Justice is investigating the use of excessive force by officers. The investigation includes the case where officers killed a mentally disturbed, double amputee. ow.ly/fUv7N 
  • Dallas, Texas: The family of a man shot and killed by an officer has filed a wrongful death suit against the officer and the police department. ow.ly/fUrWN 
  • San Antonio, Texas: A deputy U.S. marshal who authorities say tipped off his drug-trafficker father about an undercover federal agent was arrested. He is accused of showing a photocopy of the unidentified agent’s driver’s license to colleagues last fall and, upon learning it belonged to an undercover investigator, sending a warning text to his father, who has served prison time for various drug charges. http://ow.ly/fQYMP 
  • Update: Dallas, Texas: The woman who was the head of the CrimeStoppers unit, who pleaded guilty to stealing $175,000, was sentenced to 42 months in prison. ow.ly/fQHS0 
  • Fort Worth, Texas: During a rash of incidents in 2010 involving Fort Worth police officers and alcohol, chief of staff Paul Henderson summed up the department’s frustrations when he declared: “We are absolutely fed up with dealing with this off-duty behavior.” He was arrested on suspicion of DWI this past weekend. http://ow.ly/fMoXb 
  • Houston, Texas: A police officer has been arrested and charged in a domestic violence case. He is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Deputies say he showed up at his estranged wife’s house under the influence, with a gun. ow.ly/fAKOh
  • Hurst, Texas: An officer is on administrative leave after being caught on camera kneeing a teen in the back of the head while cussing at him and threatening him. http://ow.ly/fAEvr 
  • Uvalde County, Texas: A police officer was arrested for allegedly possessing and promoting child pornography. He was immediately fired after the arrest. ow.ly/fs4yg 
  • Socorro, Texas: Four police officers have been accused of official oppression. Two of them face aggravated perjury and tampering with government records charges. The arrests of the officers account for 15% of the police officers on the force. ow.ly/fa1uY
  • Pantego, Texas: A woman is suing police officers after she says the excessive force used against her caused her breast implants to rupture. Her attorney says that she has had several surgeries from health complications stemming from the excessive force. ow.ly/f62EO
  • El Paso, Texas: An officer pleaded guilty to 35 counts of tampering with government records with intent to defraud. He was one of many officers who retired or resigned last year over an internal affairs investigation into the incident. At least 17 former officers were indicted on criminal charges of tampering with government documents related to overtime. ow.ly/f3YgO
  • Sulphur Springs, Texas: A former police chief was sentenced to 3 years in prison after admitting to molesting a family member more than a decade ago. He pleaded guilty to 10 counts of indecency with a child. http://ow.ly/eWR87
  • Webster, Texas: A court claim says that an officer used excessive force against two women. They insist that they “were unarmed and did not pose a threat to (the) defendant or any officer.” http://ow.ly/eX8M4 
  • Brownfield, Texas: A police officer has been fired from the department after allegations were confirmed of his lying on an application about his inappropriate past in Kermit. He was accused of falsifying court documents and perjuring himself to conceal his improper past with a minor while he was a police officer. http://ow.ly/eWUEX
The story out of Fort Worth, I think, is my personal favorite of the bunch. Which is yours?

UPDATE: They could have added this one: "Fort Worth officer accused of aiding burglary is fired."

13 comments:

william said...

The Ft. Worth incident wins for hypocracy, but Pantego runs a real close second.

TheTruthExposers said...

Missed a couple that involved child rapes. Quite often child sex crimes committed by law enforcement are purposely hidden or minimalized by the media who don't want the public to lose confidence in police officers.

http://thefacts.com/news/article_5ccda122-2e19-11e2-b576-001a4bcf887a.html

http://www.khou.com/news/crime/Fort-Bend-DA-investigator-accused-of-improper-relations-with-underage-family-member-180230281.html

The NPMRP actually miss the majority of these cases. We specifically target these cases and post all the details here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-to-survivors-of-child-sexual-assault-by-law-enforcement-officers/180584842010594?sk=wall

Anonymous said...

As it has become common occurrence for Texas cops to molest children it's almost impossible to go even one week without another case: http://www.khou.com/news/crime/Mont-Belvieu-police-detective-suspended-for-child-assault--183550821.html

Anonymous said...

On another note, cops do a lot of positive things as well

Anonymous said...

Don't forget about the fiasco at Mission PD in Hidalgo County earlier this week.

jcfromnj said...

Gee, they are all SO GOOD that it's really hard to choose one from the bunch.

I'm going with the Houston case my self,the double amputee. Why be worried about a random school shoot out, when you chances of getting killed by your local PD are higher?

I'm hiding out in school, myself...

Thomas R. Griffith said...

*TruthExposers, Injustice Everywhere asks visitors (since day one, in the right hand margin of the homepage) to forward any reports you find.

On the other hand, while everyone knows damn well that there are Good Cops (in Texas) that do a lot of positive things, as you can see from Grit's compilation, it's the Bad Cops that fuck it up for the entire industry. They are allowed to chose: resign / retire or get fired, then appeal it or move to another state, county - like it never even happened. Rinse & Repeat.

*I asked Packman to consider a page for memorializing / honoring the positive actions of the so-called Good Cops to counter any notion(s) of being anti-police and today I ask Cato to consider it. PNG has a Public Hero Award that does just this. Thanks.

Thomas R. Griffith said...

Hey Grits, IMHO, there really isn't a best case scenario of crimes committed (and of course alleged) by public servants on & off duty.

What seems to be a new trend is the public statements' made by officials that distance the department(s) from the Bad Cop(s) or announce that Bad Cops won't be tolerated, but talk is cheap as arbitrators’ rule & it's the insurance policies that pay certain victim(s) Not the police. Who pays the premiums? Beullar? Who decides (cherry-picks) when Bad Cops get indicted? Anyone?

Maybe you'll consider an updatable Post to counter the ass-holes that constantly accuse you and readers' of being anti-police and pro-criminal. They'll be here before shift change. Instead of defending yourself every time, you can simply reply with a link to the GFB Public Servant - Honor Roll Post / Page. Thanks.

rodsmith said...

Nice ideal thomas and here's a great starter for it. Even from Texas

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/17/15972999-texas-cop-gives-driver-100-bill-along-with-ticket#comments


Texas cop gives driver $100 bill along with ticket

By NBC News staff

A Texas man got more than he expected when a police officer pulled him over: a gesture of kindness

Driver Hayden Carlo was pulled over in Plano, Texas, for an expired registration sticker on his car, according to Houston NBC affiliate KHOU. Carlo reportedly explained to the officer that he didn't have the money for the registration fee.

"I said, 'It was either feed my kids or get my registration done,'" Carlo, a 25-year-old father of two children, told CBSDFW.com.

When the police officer handed over the citation, Carlo found a $100 bill inside, according to KHOU. The Wylie man was then able to update his car registration, as well as the sticker on his wife's car

"He helped me out when I needed it, and I appreciate that," Carlo told KHOU. "I’ll never forget the man. It definitely restored my faith in God."

The officer does not want to be identified, Plano Police Department spokesperson David Tilley told NBC News on Monday. Tilley said the policeman's actions were "purely out of the goodness of his heart" and the officer told him that he felt the driver needed the money more than he did.

rodsmith said...

See i can talk nice about the cops who deserve it.

here's another one!

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/04/15677274-cops-replace-sick-girls-christmas-lights-stolen-by-grinch?lite

Cops replace sick girl's Christmas lights stolen by 'Grinch'
By NBC News staff and affiliates

When thieves snatched the holiday lights off of a terminally-ill child's home, Phoenix police officers made sure that no "Grinch" would steal Christmas from the 5-year-old girl.
The girl's mother, Jessica Smith, decked out the family's Arizona house complete with lighted reindeer, trees and a Santa with sleigh, but Phoenix police say the decorations were stolen a few days later on Nov. 21. Smith told Phoenix NBC-affiliate KPNX that she decorated a couple weeks before Thanksgiving to guarantee that her daughter could celebrate the Christmas season and "have fun with it."

Linzy, 5, has a rare form of dwarfism and has to spend this year's holiday in the hospital for a potentially life-saving bone marrow transplant, KPNX reported.
"Granted nobody really knows who they're stealing from, but it makes it even worse when it comes to light they stole from a terminally-ill child," Smith told KPNX.
After hearing about the theft, Officers Jake Lewis and David Head from the department's Maryvale Precinct restored the holiday cheer. It started with Lewis contacting Angels on Patrol, which works with Phoenix and Tempe, Ariz. police officers to help families in crisis.

"You don’t know who's behind that door. You don’t know who's Christmas this is that you're destroying," said the organization's executive assistant Leah Heathcoat on the theft. "It (Christmas) should be magical, it should be special."
Together, Angels on Patrol and the police officers helped the family redecorate the house again.

Lewis, who is a father himself with a child on the way, even dipped into his own pocket to help the Smiths with groceries, according to Phoenix Police Department Spokesperson James Holmes.

"I asked [Lewis] about the 'donation' and he told me, 'yeah, when we were in the academy and they asked me why I wanted be a police officer I jumped on the 'fast cars and sirens' bandwagon; but, when I said I wanted to help people, I meant it,'" Holmes told NBC News in a statement.

If Linzy survives her upcoming bone marrow transplant, Smith told KPNX that doctors will attempt a kidney transplant.

"Every day is just a blessing," Smith told the TV station.

A benefit fund has been set up for Linzy: Wells Fargo #1064675190.

Thomas R. Griffith said...

Thanks rodsmith, (BTW, everyone thinks exactly what you say). I'm currently nominating both officers in the instances you've listed as candidates for the PNG Public Heroes Award".

*The Officer in NY that gave boots to a shoe-less human, is already on the list. Anyone have any other examples of public servants doing good deeds on the behalf of others (not just at Christmas) please let everyone know (here) and everywhere.

INMHO, Public Servant Honor Rolls should be implemented on any & all Blogs / Blawgs having anything to do with law & unjustice. *Disclaimer Tyme, Just because two Harris County sheriff's deputies & four Houston Police Detectives initiated my railroading, there's no reason to assume that every cop is crooked. The Prosecution, the Defense & the Judge had ample proof and time to correct it.

The Good Cops' need to know we admire them and trust them with our friggin lives (including our families and pets). And if one of them needs / deserves public support or in dire straights he / she is going to get it like it or not. Thanks.

rodsmith said...

i've said that many times. Not all caps are crooked maybe 10-15% but like any other rotten apple if you leave it in the barrel it will ruin them all.

That same this is why i scream so much about the illegal sex crimes laws. They are passed based on the actions of that same 10-15% that reoffend but they are applied to the whole 100% including the 80-95% that never commit another crime...sexual or otherwise.

Usually illegally retroactivily!

Anonymous said...

They're not ever public heroes. Heroes don't seek acclaim nor pay checks for their deeds. Cops sign up for a job for a check. That check is backed by money forcibly taken from the people. There is nothing heroic about that.