Yes, I said HPD Crime Lab rather than Houston Forensic Science Center. Despite the fancy new name and claimed independence, it’s the same old game. This time the Lab commissioned an audit of its crime scene unit related to officer-involved shootings. The purpose of the audit was to address complaints by the District Attorney’s Office … Read more
Late for Work? Call a Trooper and Get to Work on Time You’ve seen police escorts many times. Sometimes it’s a wide load. Other times maybe a caravan of equipment. Maybe even a funeral procession. We’ve come to expect them from time to time on Texas roadways. But did you know you could hire one … Read more
The Waller County Civilian Commission report is finally out, and you can read it here: Recommended Police and Jail Practices We finished our review, and our report! Joined by Hon. Craig Washington, Hon. Morris Overstreet, Juan L. Guerra, Randall Kallinen, and Paul Looney, I spent countless hours trying to help the citizens of Waller County. In … Read more
Too often, we hear citizens complain, “The defendant has all the rights; the victim has none.” This old adage could not be further from the truth. Yes, the defendant has rights: the right to a fair trial, the right to effective counsel, the right to remain silent, and the right to confront his accuser, among … Read more
to protect and serve; honor; integrity; trust These are the words I learned growing up in a police family. Being an officer meant you did what was right; at least that’s what I was told. What has happened to those principles? Reading about a full female body cavity search IN PUBLIC during a traffic stop … Read more
Maybe you have been following the David Temple case. Maybe you haven’t. In short, David Temple was convicted of killing his wife in a totally circumstantial cold case prosecuted by Kelly Siegler, former Harris County Assistant District Attorney turned semi-celebrity on TNT’s Cold Justice. In case you hadn’t followed the events here is what you … Read more
You know that old saying: keep your friends close and your social media friends even closer! Well that’s the new twist on the old saying. Did you know that the police, the government, can create fake social media accounts and “friend” you? They can. And they do. They can use your own social media against you. … Read more
Why Would an Innocent Individual Ever Be Convicted of a Crime They Did Not Commit? Though our system of justice is based on English Jurist William Blackstone’s premise, “It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer“, far too often we learn about exonerations of innocent persons who suffered convictions for … Read more
Facebook: Like it or Leave it, but make no mistake about it law enforcement uses it as tool to probe into your information. And I like that Facebook is telling them to stop using their service to lie! The DEA (drug enforcement agency) creates fake profiles as part of ongoing investigations. And Facebook’s chief security … Read more
CIVIL SUITS A sergeant who used to work for me asked if I could come to the HCSO Academy and give a class on K-9 legal issues. I prepared for search and seizure issues but when I got out there, I saw the class was titled “K-9 Civil Liabilities.” I had recently defended a case … Read more