Tag: police
In recent years texting has become one of the main means of communications for millions of people. The expansion of texting apps and social media has also led to a whole new raft of cyber crimes and a headache for law enforcement. But while it can be obvious if a text constitutes harassment or stalking,…
Jails are often labelled mental health facilities because so many people with psychological problems are incarcerated in them. More than half of all of the prisoners in the United States suffer from a mental health problem, according to a 2006 Justice Department study. Among female inmates, the figure is almost three-quarters. Jails are not the…
Texas’s new “open carry” law came into effect on Jan 1, 2016, sparking considerable discussion about how it will affect the criminal law and the safety of citizens. The new law permits concealed handgun licensees to openly carry a holstered firearm, making Texas the largest state to have this kind of law on its statute…
In 2015 most people have easy access to videos and cameras on their cellphones. The change has meant police and deputies face unprecedented scrutiny from the public over their methods. A case in point is a report this month that authorities in Texas are examining two videos recorded by members of the public that show…
Over the past year we have become used to images of protestors holding signs with slogans like “unarmed,” and “I can’t breathe,” after deaths of inmates at the hands of law enforcement officers across America. But the latest images of a protest were closer to home in Dallas. The protest was organized by the family…
The deaths of African Americans at the hands of police officers have dominated headlines nationally over the last 18 months. Texas has not been immune to cases like this. In the Dallas area, the death of a woman in a Waller County jail cell has sparked a protest in the city and elsewhere in the…
A recent incident in which a man was arrested by Fort Worth police on drug charges after a slow-speed car chase, led to disciplinary action against two police officers. The Dallas Morning News reported how Joe Gonzales, 42, led police on a slow-speed chase that lasted almost two hours through Tarrant County, until a SWAT…
The behavior of police officers has come under scrutiny in recent months in Missouri, New York and Baltimore. While Texas has not seen high profile cases like these places, there is no shortage of scandals involving police in the Lone Star State. Recently, the Star-Telegram reported on how a former Grapevine police officer who admitted…
We have a right to expect organizational procedures to be flawless at a police department. As an agency that compiles and stores evidence, a police department has a high level of responsibility to citizens. It was, therefore, alarming to read an auditor’s report that the Dallas Police Department’s guns, Tasers, radios and badges are “not…
In Texas skipping school can be a criminal offense for students. However, that may change if a bill approved this month by the Senate makes it onto the statute books. The Star-Telegram reported on how skipping school in Texas would no longer be a crime for students if a bill which was approved 26-5 by…