Houston, Texas
Ten Houston Police Department officers have amassed 370 violations of HPD regulations over their careers, a laundry list of major and minor complaints that critics say illustrate how police can make mistakes repeatedly and still not lose their jobs.
The complaints include failing to investigate a suspected child rape, skipping court testimony and causing a drug case to be dismissed, wrecking dozens of police and private cars, writing hot checks, refusing to answer internal affairs investigators and detaining innocent residents.
The 10 officers - nine of whom are still active and one who resigned under investigation last year - have the most violations logged on an HPD Internal Affairs database of complaints sustained by police investigators. One officer has 47 sustained complaints against him alone. Another has 44.
The disciplinary actions for the complaints are detailed in more than 1,100 pages of city records obtained recently through an open records request.
Those punished include one veteran officer who ran unauthorized criminal checks on acquaintances, and who went through a department car wash with a bean-bag shotgun on a police cruiser's roof. The gun case was damaged when it was run over by the next cruiser in line.
The disciplinary files of the 10 officers show that four had conduct and a history of complaints severe enough for the police chief to attempt to fire them, but they were able to keep their jobs because of civil service and police union provisions that allow the chief to negotiate a lesser punishment through a "last chance agreement."
Independent hearing examiners often overturn firings on appeal, as they did with four of eight officers Chief Charles McClelland fired last year.
Critics are concerned by the high number of sustained complaints among the officers, adding that HPD's complaints process takes too long and problem officers are not weeded out.
Criminal justice professor Larry Hoover said HPD's disciplinary system of gradually imposing more severe suspensions, coupled with the ability of an officer to appeal a firing to an arbitrator, makes it hard to get rid of bad officers.
"That practice is almost unheard-of in every occupation except public safety, police and fire," said Hoover, who is on the faculty at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. "The fact that the option exists leads to officers being inappropriately retained in the department, when they should be fired."
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Monday, March 28, 2011
Houston Police Officer w/14 career disciplinary actions is suspended 20days for failing to investigate a child rape case
Houston, Texas
Walker, 43, had been dispatched to Memorial Hermann Hospital in December 2009 to investigate the reported sexual assault of a child. He met briefly with the child's mother and told her he'd wait while a physical exam of the child was conducted. Instead, he left the hospital.
Walker did not follow up and contact the family, meet with hospital staff or file a report. He simply returned to his regular duties, according to the Houston Police Department's investigation of the officer, who joined the force in 1994.
He was disciplined for the botched investigation and remains on the force.
The Houston Chronicle has identified Walker as one of 10 officers — including one who resigned while under investigation last year - who have had the most sustained complaints against them over their careers by both citizens and HPD.
Walker has accrued 28 internal affairs complaints during his career. The most serious violation was Walker's failure to investigate the sex assault on the child.
"Once notified of a possible crime, especially one of this nature, Officer Walker was required to exercise all means possible to perform a prompt and thorough investigation and gather the necessary information in order to complete an incident report," McClelland wrote in a May 24 suspension letter. "Instead, Officer Walker returned to service without any follow-up whatsoever."
Instead of firing the officer, McClelland accepted a "last chance agreement" negotiated by the police union, which required Walker to take a 20-day suspension but afforded the officer an opportunity to "salvage" his career.
History of Disgrace
ERNEST W. WALKER
Age: 43
Years of service: 17 years
Sustained complaints: 28
Suspensions and reprimands: 14
Disciplinary highlights
May 24, 2010: 20-day suspension in lieu of firing for failing to investigate a sexual assault of a child, after leaving Memorial Hermann Hospital while the child was undergoing a sexual assault examination. Although he returned to the hospital, the victim and her mother were gone and he made no effort to contact hospital staff or the family to investigate the crime. In addition, he did not file a required incident report.
Nov. 9, 2009: One-day suspension for reporting late for work 19 times between Aug. 21, 2008, and Aug. 11, 2009.
Oct. 13, 2008: 15-day suspension for misconduct for taking a criminal justice student from Texas Southern University to his apartment during a ride-along program, leaving his beat without authorization. He was also cited for dropping the student off at her apartment instead of bringing her back to the police station.
July 23, 2008: One-day suspension for reporting late for duty 21 times between Jan. 3, 2008, and May 6, 2008.
June 22, 2005: Written reprimand for leaving his Glock handgun, two loaded magazines, a Taser with two cartridges, handcuffs, and his gunbelt in his car overnight, during which time they were stolen during a break-in.
May 9, 2005: Previous 15-day suspension reduced to nine days by hearing examiners; insubordination charge overturned, and officer reimbursed for six days of lost pay.
Aug. 11, 2004: 15-day suspension for taking another officer's flashlight without permission, and for insubordination for taking two months to complete an incident report that was due the same day it was investigated.
Jan. 29, 2004: One-day suspension for being disrespectful to three superior officers questioning him on Oct. 2, 2003, about how long he took to transport prisoners. Walker later denied he made the statement.
Sept. 4, 2002: One-day suspension for ignoring subpoena to municipal court on June 20, 2002, having previously failed to attend court on Feb. 28 and May 2, 2002.
Aug. 12, 2002: Written reprimand for ignoring subpoena to municipal court.
June 22, 2001: Written reprimand for ignoring a subpoena to municipal court.
July 12, 1998: Written reprimand for responding to a call Jan. 15, 1998, by driving against traffic on the Gulf Freeway, causing an accident between a civilian and an off-duty police officer. Completed the accident report himself instead of calling for another investigator.
June 30, 1998: Written reprimand for negligence in causing a major accident March 12, 1998, and hitting numerous fixed objects with patrol car. Total cost of damages was $11,600.
Jan. 14, 1998: Eight-day suspension for releasing a suspect he arrested for having a pipe with cocaine residue after another officer destroyed the pipe at the City Jail.
Sept. 19, 1995: Written reprimand for running a red light March 25, 1995, hitting one private vehicle and sending debris crashing into another vehicle and a pedestrian.
Source
He's been reprimanded by HPD time and time again but remains on the force - even after failing to properly investigate a case of child sex abuse
Last spring, Houston police officer Ernest W. Walker was quietly negotiating with Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland to keep his job.
By that time, Walker had already been suspended for making inappropriate advances to a female college student while on duty and had been disciplined for showing up late 40 times. Now he was accused of one of the most serious offenses an officer can commit.Walker, 43, had been dispatched to Memorial Hermann Hospital in December 2009 to investigate the reported sexual assault of a child. He met briefly with the child's mother and told her he'd wait while a physical exam of the child was conducted. Instead, he left the hospital.
Walker did not follow up and contact the family, meet with hospital staff or file a report. He simply returned to his regular duties, according to the Houston Police Department's investigation of the officer, who joined the force in 1994.
He was disciplined for the botched investigation and remains on the force.
The Houston Chronicle has identified Walker as one of 10 officers — including one who resigned while under investigation last year - who have had the most sustained complaints against them over their careers by both citizens and HPD.
Walker has accrued 28 internal affairs complaints during his career. The most serious violation was Walker's failure to investigate the sex assault on the child.
"Once notified of a possible crime, especially one of this nature, Officer Walker was required to exercise all means possible to perform a prompt and thorough investigation and gather the necessary information in order to complete an incident report," McClelland wrote in a May 24 suspension letter. "Instead, Officer Walker returned to service without any follow-up whatsoever."
Instead of firing the officer, McClelland accepted a "last chance agreement" negotiated by the police union, which required Walker to take a 20-day suspension but afforded the officer an opportunity to "salvage" his career.
History of Disgrace
ERNEST W. WALKER
Age: 43
Years of service: 17 years
Sustained complaints: 28
Suspensions and reprimands: 14
Disciplinary highlights
May 24, 2010: 20-day suspension in lieu of firing for failing to investigate a sexual assault of a child, after leaving Memorial Hermann Hospital while the child was undergoing a sexual assault examination. Although he returned to the hospital, the victim and her mother were gone and he made no effort to contact hospital staff or the family to investigate the crime. In addition, he did not file a required incident report.
Nov. 9, 2009: One-day suspension for reporting late for work 19 times between Aug. 21, 2008, and Aug. 11, 2009.
Oct. 13, 2008: 15-day suspension for misconduct for taking a criminal justice student from Texas Southern University to his apartment during a ride-along program, leaving his beat without authorization. He was also cited for dropping the student off at her apartment instead of bringing her back to the police station.
July 23, 2008: One-day suspension for reporting late for duty 21 times between Jan. 3, 2008, and May 6, 2008.
June 22, 2005: Written reprimand for leaving his Glock handgun, two loaded magazines, a Taser with two cartridges, handcuffs, and his gunbelt in his car overnight, during which time they were stolen during a break-in.
May 9, 2005: Previous 15-day suspension reduced to nine days by hearing examiners; insubordination charge overturned, and officer reimbursed for six days of lost pay.
Aug. 11, 2004: 15-day suspension for taking another officer's flashlight without permission, and for insubordination for taking two months to complete an incident report that was due the same day it was investigated.
Jan. 29, 2004: One-day suspension for being disrespectful to three superior officers questioning him on Oct. 2, 2003, about how long he took to transport prisoners. Walker later denied he made the statement.
Sept. 4, 2002: One-day suspension for ignoring subpoena to municipal court on June 20, 2002, having previously failed to attend court on Feb. 28 and May 2, 2002.
Aug. 12, 2002: Written reprimand for ignoring subpoena to municipal court.
June 22, 2001: Written reprimand for ignoring a subpoena to municipal court.
July 12, 1998: Written reprimand for responding to a call Jan. 15, 1998, by driving against traffic on the Gulf Freeway, causing an accident between a civilian and an off-duty police officer. Completed the accident report himself instead of calling for another investigator.
June 30, 1998: Written reprimand for negligence in causing a major accident March 12, 1998, and hitting numerous fixed objects with patrol car. Total cost of damages was $11,600.
Jan. 14, 1998: Eight-day suspension for releasing a suspect he arrested for having a pipe with cocaine residue after another officer destroyed the pipe at the City Jail.
Sept. 19, 1995: Written reprimand for running a red light March 25, 1995, hitting one private vehicle and sending debris crashing into another vehicle and a pedestrian.
Source
Friday, March 25, 2011
Dallas police officer had marijuana in her system at the time of November DWI arrest
Dallas, Texas
A Dallas police officer, Anastasia Brown, who was arrested in November on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in Fort Worth is now facing being fired after drug tests found marijuana in her system.
Assistant Chief Vince Golbeck, who supervises the city's seven patrol stations, made the recommendation to fire the officer during a disciplinary hearing Thursday.
"It's very disturbing," Golbeck said. "That won't be tolerated."
According to the Fort Worth police report, officers spotted a disabled black Honda pulled onto the service road of Interstate 20 near Campus Drive about 11 p.m. Nov. 25. The vehicle was running, and the driver was asleep or passed out behind the wheel. The report describes police as having a very difficult time getting Brown to wake up.
"I asked Brown what she was doing and she stated she was just tired and started laughing," the officer wrote. "It then became immediately apparent that Brown was acting strange and under the influence of some substance. Brown continually was laughing about the situation she was in, her eyes were glazed over and red, her head swayed while moving and I was detecting an odor of alcoholic beverage on her person."
Police then arrested her.
During an inventory search of Brown's vehicle, police found a Wal-Mart shopping bag in the passenger floorboard with "with a strong smell of an unknown substance," the report said.
Inside the bag, police found "one burn plate with residue, two clear glass pipes with unknown burnt residue, two burned filters with residue, unused filters and scissors with residue," the report said. "Officers believed the residue to be methamphetamine."
Police Chief David Brown will make the final decision on Brown's employment.
Source
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Community Continues to Protest Houston Police Department Brutality for Seventh Week
Houston, Texas
Today, a coalition of community organizations continues to protest demanding a citizen’s review board with subpoena power, prosecutorial power, and proper funding. Protests began after the release of a video showing the brutal beating of 15 year old African American Chad Holley.
Several town hall meetings have shown the outrage of the community, along with opinions being continuously expressed on local talk shows. Numerous citizens have come forward with claims of excessive force and brutality, including the death of their loved ones.
In addition, in the past two weeks, two police shootings seen as use of excessive force or outright murder by some witnesses have taken place.
As of the latest scheduled protest, Mayor Annise Parker and the District Attorney have been unresponsive to the righteous demands of the public.
Source
Today, a coalition of community organizations continues to protest demanding a citizen’s review board with subpoena power, prosecutorial power, and proper funding. Protests began after the release of a video showing the brutal beating of 15 year old African American Chad Holley.
Several town hall meetings have shown the outrage of the community, along with opinions being continuously expressed on local talk shows. Numerous citizens have come forward with claims of excessive force and brutality, including the death of their loved ones.
In addition, in the past two weeks, two police shootings seen as use of excessive force or outright murder by some witnesses have taken place.
As of the latest scheduled protest, Mayor Annise Parker and the District Attorney have been unresponsive to the righteous demands of the public.
Source
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Dallas Officer Accused of Car Burglary While On-duty
Dallas, Texas
A Dallas police officer is accused of breaking into cars and burglarizing them while on duty and in uniform.
The department confirmed that a long-time veteran of the force has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal affairs probe.
Sources very close to the case say that a Northeast Patrol officer is facing allegations that he broke into at least four vehicles over the past four months while on duty.
In at least two of the cases, the officer was captured on tape driving up in his Dallas police cruiser, getting out and opening the doors of random, unlocked vehicles and then getting inside, the sources said.
The officer had a hard time explaining his proximity to two cars with broke windows in two other cases, the sources said.
Another source very close to the case said the officer turned over what appeared to be car-burglary tools after investigators pressed him.
Source and Video
A Dallas police officer is accused of breaking into cars and burglarizing them while on duty and in uniform.
The department confirmed that a long-time veteran of the force has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal affairs probe.
Sources very close to the case say that a Northeast Patrol officer is facing allegations that he broke into at least four vehicles over the past four months while on duty.
In at least two of the cases, the officer was captured on tape driving up in his Dallas police cruiser, getting out and opening the doors of random, unlocked vehicles and then getting inside, the sources said.
The officer had a hard time explaining his proximity to two cars with broke windows in two other cases, the sources said.
Another source very close to the case said the officer turned over what appeared to be car-burglary tools after investigators pressed him.
Source and Video
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Disturbing Truth About Brutality Complaints With The Houston Police Department
Houston, Texas
Tonight, ABC13 took a look into the truth about Houston police brutality complaints -- they virtually never result in an officer getting punished.
HPD's own records paint a controversial portrait; during the last decade, 2,135 complaints about alleged police brutality. Only 33 were sustained -- less than two percent. And if you count only citizen complaints, the number of times the brutality allegation has been confirmed is just 16 -- 16 of more than 2,100.
Even HPD brass admits without the recent video depicting officers beating teenager Chad Holley, the officers would have likely never faced an internal probe.
But there's another reason too. None of the HPD officers on the scene that day said a word about what we can all clearly see on the video.
Under current state law, a person who complains about a cop is not allowed to even see what internal affairs investigations did, who they talked to.
And the public isn't allowed to see an officer's history of complaints unless police prove they are true. We've got the numbers but no names.
Check out the stats
Source
Diboll police chief pleads guilty to theft
Diboll Police Chief, Kent Havard, pleaded guilty to theft by a public servant, and was sentenced to 3 years deferred adjudication probation according to Angelina County's District Attorney, Clyde Herrington.
Under the terms of Havard's probation he must pay a $500 fine. He must also permanently surrender his peace officer license within 60 days. In addition, Havard owes the City of Diboll an estimated $5,100 in restitution.
Earlier this month, the former police chief resigned following an investigation. According to Herrington, city officials noticed some discrepancies in credit charges.
Herrington said Havard kept several reimbursement checks issued to the city. He also, made unauthorized credit card charges at Minute Maid park, and Walmart, and he admitted he took money from the police department's scholarship fund.
Source
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