Posted on 09/18/2002 4:45:08 PM PDT by No Truce With Kings
Acting Police Chief Timothy Oettmeier told Houston's City Council this morning that future operations on the scale of last month's raid on a Kmart parking lot will have to first receive the chief's written approval.
Oettmeier said the Houston Police Department's new procedure will ensure that large operations will be monitored as they are being executed.
Portions of the Houston Police Department's investigation into that raid, meanwhile, will be delayed as the Harris County District Attorney's Office attempts to present a case to a Harris County grand jury.
In his briefing before the City Council, Oettmeier said he will not set any arbitrary time frame for the completion of HPD's investigation.
Police officers targeting illegal drag racing by teens and young adults along Westheimer on the weekend of Aug. 16 and 17 arrested nearly 300 people from Kmart, Sonic Drive-In and James Coney Island parking lots. Their cars were towed, and some spent the night in jail.
Many of those arrested complained they were legitimate customers, some had receipts to prove it, and one filed a $100 million wrongful-arrest lawsuit against the city.
Last week, Oettmeier requested the dismissal of trespassing and curfew charges.
An investigation by HPD's internal affairs division resulted in the paid suspension of 13 police officers - two captains, two lieutenants and nine sergeants. Oettmeier said the probe is the Police Department's largest ever internal-affairs investigation.
FYI ping.
Ahhh, but the Keystones were supposed to make us laugh at them.
I have no idea if the lawsuits will be pursued or dropped after this move. I don't take the comical or any other paper, nor do I listen to the local lieberal propaganda stations. They don't tune in as well as the dish channels, and they aren't worth $5 a month to get.;-)
Randall Kallinen, is representing about 20 people arrested in the raid. The attorney said he is trying to get a signed dismissal from a judge for all of his clients so he can file lawsuits for wrongful arrest and imprisonment..link
Sounds like at least 20 lawsuits will be proceeding, even after the dropping of charges
when do i get MY paid suspension?!?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.