Posted on 09/19/2010 10:31:04 PM PDT by smokingfrog
Rene Lozano Jr. once lost control of his patrol car while chasing a traffic violator. The vehicle slammed into a utility pole, fatally injuring a rookie officer riding with him.
A bullet narrowly missed another officer's head when Lozano's pistol accidentally discharged.
He was the passenger in a stolen Mercedes-Benz driven by a friend. The bolt cutters used to steal the car were stashed under the seat.
And he once was fired for making false statements about his arrest on charges of driving while intoxicated, a case that ultimately was dismissed because the arresting officer was unable to testify.
That was all before Lozano began his career as a Dallas County deputy constable in 2007. He could not be reached for comment.
A Dallas Morning News investigation discovered that some constables attract peace officers with troubled histories like magnets. At least three dozen deputy constables in Dallas County were terminated from previous law enforcement jobs, resigned while under investigation or were disciplined for serious infractions. Others fit the profile of "gypsy cops" who repeatedly bounced from one job to the next in a downward career spiral.
The two precincts that are the focus of a criminal investigation by a special prosecutor into allegations of wrongdoing – the Precinct 5 constable's office under Jaime Cortes and Precinct 1 Constable Derek Evans' office – had the most by far, each more than the remaining three precincts combined. At least 13 of the 38 deputy constables employed by Precinct 5 in early 2010 had experienced serious problems in previous law enforcement jobs, as did 14 of the 55 licensed peace officers in Precinct 1.
Commissioner Mike Cantrell said no one in law enforcement should be hiring officers with those sorts of problems.
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
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The Zona de Tolerancia slips ever northward. How about giving them all frequent unannounced drug/alcohol screening. I insist upon it.
And yet there are still people on FR who wonder why we don’t trust cops anymore. Every police force has these.
Our local Police Chief is hiring police officers who were busted for domestic violence and soliciting a prostitute. That’s not good because if a case goes to court, it destroys the case and the taxpayer gets screwed!
bttt
Problem is when LEO’s F up and get fired for cause. After a agency and state review their certs need to be taken away from them and their name, SSAN and fingerprints need to be added to a national data base so they NEVER get a job as a LEO again.
Too many fired LEO’s go to small towns or other states and get right back into the same bad habits.
Makes a bad name for the good ones IMO.
Humans are...even with badges ! Trust and integrity is earned, monitor all of em , even after they earned such initially.
once earned, trust but verify as the time passes...its only 'common sense' when permitting an agent of the state to have power of life and death...all humans indeed...
Diversity is our strength.
if criminals are to judged by a jury of their peers, they will need some crooks who became cops to be “fair”.
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