[justlurking]

In fact, 80% of the news thus far shows the police were justified in their actions.

The other 20% is the news that:

1. The police chief admitted that K-mart never filed a trespassing complaint.
2. The police chief admitted that the parking lot raid arrests may be illegal, if people were never told they were trespassing and given a chance to leave.
3. 13 supervisory officers have already been suspended from duty, pending an investigation by the DA.
4. The DA is investigating whether city money was used to post the "No trespassing" signs.
5. An internal memo distributed just days before the operation provides for arresting only people that were committing offenses other than trespassing.

Did I forget anything?

[Dog Gone]

Chief on hot seat for police raid

Top cop apologizes for raid that resulted in 273 arrests

08/28/2002

By Jason Whitely / 11 News

HOUSTON (KHOU) -- Houston's top cop found himself in the hot seat at Houston's City Hall Wednesday and apologized for a massive police raid that he said he never approved.

For several hours Wednesday, Police Chief C.O. Bradford answered questions about the raid at a Kmart parking lot that landed hundreds in jail. "I am embarrassed as police chief," Bradford said.

Those in charge of the raid said they were trying to catch street racers, but Bradford said there was no indication of it.

New numbers came out Wednesday in the raid on a West Houston Kmart parking lot on Aug 17. Bradford said 273 people were arrested for trespassing that night, but many said they were never told to leave in the first place.

"We offer an apology," Bradford said. "Even if everything turns out to be within the law. The way it was effected should have been done a little bit differently."

Now there's a question of who knew what and when. 11 News first reported last week on internal police memos addressed to Chief Bradford in May detailing the proposed crackdown and arrests.

But Bradford says he didn't approve it. And department policy is to issue citations instead of arrests. "I never saw this plan, never heard about this plan until a week after the event," he said.

But council members heard from a wrecker driver on Tuesday who said the raid was well planned and publicized over the police radio. "Wrecker drivers know more about what's going on in our police department than our police chief," said Houston City Councilwoman Ada Edwards. "That bothers me very, very deeply."

Chief Bradford has suspended 13 police supervisors who worked in the raid. Many of those taken in are talking to attorneys alleging unlawful arrests. This incident has become an unprecedented event for Houston Police, which may lead to an unprecedented outcome as well.

Attorneys said that more clients are coming forward everyday. And they expect more lawsuits to be filed later in the week alleging unlawful arrest.

Chief Bradford said that the Internal Affairs investigation won't be wrapped-up for another couple of months. But in the next few weeks, the department will decide whether to press ahead with the trespassing charges or to just dismiss them.

Despite Bradford's City Hall explanations, many questions remain unanswered surrounding the raid on the Westheimer parking lot. What is known is that 273 people were arrested and 42 of them were juveniles. No citations were issued.