Author: Broden & Mickelsen, LLP
Gangs represent a “significant public safety threat” in Texas, and are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime in many communities, a new report by the Department of Public Safety has concluded. The report says gang activity is particularly prevalent in West Texas close to the border with Mexico which has a major problem with…
A damning report into the way crime is handled in Ferguson, MO., has confirmed that not all local criminal justice systems are equal and some are riddled with bad practices. This month the Justice Department called on Ferguson, Mo., to “overhaul its criminal justice system, declaring that the city had engaged in so many constitutional…
A police operation of an alleged stolen car and monster truck ring has illustrated how a criminal investigation can quickly spiral. On Feb. 26, the Dallas Morning News reported how David Campbell, 57, from Hutchins in Dallas County was accused of stealing a monster truck from a Plano parking lot. Police say he reported the…
Recently the Dallas Morning News reported on how some police office relish the chance to arrest scofflaws during the Great Texas Warrant Roundup “as if it were spring break.” The round-up targets offenders who have evaded low-level violations such as traffic citations. Although these violations do not carry heavy sentences if they are quickly processed,…
Child pornography charges are taken very seriously and dealt with by the federal authorities. We wrote about the difficulty of defending child pornography cases here. Recently, the Dallas Morning News reported on how a 38-year-old man from Little Elm was sentenced to federal prison on child pornography violations, according to a press release from the…
A Dallas County District Attorney has been accused of violating a law that states all crime victims have the right to be informed of all proceedings that relate to their case. A report in USA Today described how the Texas Bill of Rights states that crime victims have the right to be informed of all…
Capital murder is the most serious charge that can be brought in Texas. Generally speaking, the penalty for capital murder is death or life in prison without parole. This month a jury in Houston convicted a teenager of capital murder in the death of a girl who prosecutors say was killed as part of a…
In 2012, there was an angry demonstration in Dallas, Texas when police shot and killed James Harper. Harper, an African American, was shot dead at drug house in the 5300 block of Bourquin Street while, according to Dallas Police Chief David Brown, police were responding to a kidnapping call. These kinds of scenes have dominated…
Texas has a longstanding reputation for being tough on crime and criminals. It executes more convicts than any other state and has a massive prison population. But now the state is making crime headlines for another initiative in which a softer approach brought in seven years ago appears to have reversed the out-of-control growth of…
There is an increase in inappropriate student-teacher relationships. Sexual offenses can carry a great deal of stigma especially when those who are charged with them are in a position of responsibility such as being a teacher. Recently the Dallas Morning News reported on how an English teacher from Richardson High School English teacher has been…