Thank you for your continuing updates on this issue. As a houstonian, I am very interested in this whole ordeal and am eager to learn how this is all going to turn out.
Houston Police chief answered city council's question on K-Mart arrest
08/28/2002
HOUSTON (KHOU) -- Ten days after the controversial police raid at a west side K-Mart, the political storm is intensifying. From lawsuits to police suspensions, the raid has been trouble for city leaders. And on Tuesday, the Houston Police chief found himself at the center of the storm.
Before Houston Police Chief C.O. Bradford took questions about the August 17 K-Mart parking-lot fiasco, he described the current policies within HPD.
"Zero tolerance," said Bradford. "We spent a lot of discussion on zero tolerance. Zero tolerance refers to enforcement of all laws by writing citations for all minor offenses."
Bradford continued to say those minor offenses usually result in warnings or tickets, not arrests.
"The department's posture is for the officers to use citations for minor Class C offenses, with exception to those that breach the peace and public intoxication," said Bradford.
The chief said he did not okay the bust, but he has and does support the policies in affect to arrest street racers.
Bradford said, "I knew that we had, in fact, a plan for street racing initiative. We have had several discussions about plans of actions to deal with street racing initiative."
The chief stopped short of actually uttering the words, "The department made a mistake." But he did admit, under tough questioning, that there is no record of K-Mart filing a trespassing affidavit. So, did the officers have the right to go on the property and make the arrest?
All those facts are still under investigation. The question and answer session with the police chief lasted for more than two hours.
The result of Project Eraser was 278 arrests and 13 HPD supervisors relieved of duty pending the results of the investigation. It is the largest number of police officers relieved of duty for one single event in HPD's history.