More Houston Idiocy - Police Chief Trying to Implement Bodycams on Undercover Officers

May 21, 2019, 10:31 PM

Fortunately, the Feds are currently saying no so it's not being implemented on task forces (e.g. narcotics). Hopefully, the Feds hang tough and don't cave.

Unfortunately, it's being implemented when HPD is working without another agency. The most egregious part is the en route to serving a warrant as that's when they're most likely to be meeting with undercover officers and confidential informants.

For background, Chief Acevedo is a California libtard (in favor of sanctuary cities, sucks up to the community activist idiots, full-on in favor of everything LGBQT, etc) appointed by Houston's idiot anti-2A mayor about 2.5 years ago.

quote:
Houston Police hit roadblock in implementing body camera policy for undercover officers

Federal agents who work with HPD narcotics detectives on a multi-agency task force are concerned about confidentiality.

Author: Larry Seward
Published: 10:09 PM CDT May 21, 2019
Updated: 10:09 PM CDT May 21, 2019

HOUSTON — A new Houston Police policy to put body-worn cameras on undercover officers serving warrants is stuck in neutral. There is resistance from agents outside of the Houston Police Department who are uncomfortable with what such video could reveal.

Federal agents who work with HPD narcotics detectives on a multi-agency task force are concerned about confidentiality. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said it is an issue his department expects to quickly resolve.

“We’re rolling with it,” Chief Acevedo said. “The question is what impact will that have on our multi-agency task force.”

A drug raid that got two civilians killed and four HPD officers wounded on Harding Street in January sparked immediate policy change. The administration made no-knock warrants mostly off-limits. Getting one requires top-level department approval, a district court judge’s signature, and only SWAT is allowed to execute such warrants.

Narcotics division lieutenants and managers must now join their team in the field serving warrants. This adds more accountability and helps make sure command staff does not get blindsided with problems, Acevedo said.

The chief also pushed for body cameras for all officers, including those undercover, serving warrants. His policy, still in the works, will require cameras to record en route to, during and through the end of any search.

“(Federal partners are) not that comfortable with it,” he said.

While talking safety with faith leaders Tuesday night, Chief Acevedo told KHOU 11 it is likely to be the hottest topic during next week’s major chiefs association meeting.

In Chicago and Philadelphia, cities of similar size, police last updated search warrant policies in 2015 and 2016. Neither includes specific language regulating the use of body cameras on a task force that includes undercover officers and federal agents.

“We’re going to work that out next week, and I think by the middle of June, we’ll be done,” Chief Acevedo said.

His department is discussing where to mount cameras on warrant serving teams. There is an ongoing discussion about it with HPD’s partners on the narcotics task force.

May 21, 2019, 11:25 PM

YooperSigs

I have always thought that The Peter Principal was most clearly demonstrated in Police Command Staffs.
This proves it.

May 22, 2019, 01:16 AM

Snapping Twig

I remember that jackwad.

Thought he'd be cleaning out latrines or some such other not involving police work, but noooo.

The rot runs deep.

May 22, 2019, 02:16 AM

bigdeal

There is clearly something in the water in Cali causing severe mental retardation in otherwise worthless nitwits.

May 22, 2019, 04:02 AM

CQB60

Assevedo is an idiot

May 22, 2019, 04:07 AM

Woodman

Chief Acevedo has watched Minority Report one too many times.

May 22, 2019, 05:09 AM

barndg00

This covers officers serving warrants, right? In particular, no knock warrants being carried out by SWAT. I’m all for protecting officers, but if you’re serving a warrant, you’re no longer working under cover, right? And we all know how badly no-knock warrants can go. I’d personally want them recorded start to finish. The only part of this I find concerning is if the warrant team were to meet with an undercover officer who was remaining under cover, that should not be recorded in such a way as the officer be identified to outside people.

May 22, 2019, 06:56 AM

car541

The requirement is only during the service of the warrant. The UC guys still get to wear their balaclava, they just also have a camera.

Given the amount of heartburn over what actually happened during a search warrant execution, it is probably a good idea.

May 22, 2019, 08:12 AM

tatortodd

quote:
Originally posted by car541:
The requirement is only during the service of the warrant. The UC guys still get to wear their balaclava, they just also have a camera.

Like I wrote in the OP, they’re required to have their body cameras on “en route to” serving the warrant. This is when they’re most likely to be talking to undercover officers and confidential informants to find out pertinent things like if they’re home and how many in the home.

May 22, 2019, 08:48 AM

18DAI

Weapons grade stupidity. I recall attending a UC firearms class. The instructor advised that we use pistols NOT in service with police agencies.

And NO holsters either as only the good guys used holsters and a holster screamed COP! to the miscreants.

And this dimwit wants the UCs/plainclothes to use body cams? Unreal. Regards 18DAI

May 22, 2019, 10:35 AM

MG34_Dan

For some interesting background on Ol' Art, you need to read this:

https://www.latimes.com/archiv...9-me-chp9-story.html

And this:

https://www.myplainview.com/ne...ent-with-8468984.php

May 22, 2019, 10:43 AM

smschulz

Houston always makes management decisions (including elected officials) based on D-I-V-E-R-S-T-I-Y first > not merit or ability.
We have a long history this mistake unfortunately, and it will most likely never change.

May 22, 2019, 10:53 AM

jhe888

quote:
Originally posted by barndg00:
This covers officers serving warrants, right? In particular, no knock warrants being carried out by SWAT. I’m all for protecting officers, but if you’re serving a warrant, you’re no longer working under cover, right? And we all know how badly no-knock warrants can go. I’d personally want them recorded start to finish. The only part of this I find concerning is if the warrant team were to meet with an undercover officer who was remaining under cover, that should not be recorded in such a way as the officer be identified to outside people.

Agreed. If this covers warrant-servers, I want them filmed at every moment. Why send the undercover guys for that in the first place? Have a warrant squad.

If it covers police trying to make drug deals, or infiltrating gangs, it is moronic.

May 22, 2019, 12:09 PM

iron chef

I have a friend who is a HPD officer and does not have a very high opinion of Chief Art. Says Acevedo is too busy being a politician to be a policemann.

Friend also says there's a rumor in the dept that shooting qualification standards were lowered, so Acevedo could pass them.

I remember when Acevedo was Chief in Austin, TX. I was not a fan of his then and not a fan now.

May 22, 2019, 04:01 PM

fiasconva

Why do so many of these incompetents get recycled over and over? They get forced out of one city and end up in another time and time again. It's about as bad as the NFL or MLB but at least lives aren't at stake there.

May 22, 2019, 04:49 PM

Fredward

CA is jacked up, but Houston, IIRC, is in Texas.

May 22, 2019, 05:08 PM

flashguy

quote:
Originally posted by Fredward:
CA is jacked up, but Houston, IIRC, is in Texas.

Some of us Texans would be happier if it weren't. (And I'm only an "adopted" Texan.)

flashguy

May 22, 2019, 07:59 PM

tatortodd

quote:
Originally posted by smschulz:
Houston always makes management decisions (including elected officials) based on D-I-V-E-R-S-T-I-Y first > not merit or ability.
We have a long history this mistake unfortunately, and it will most likely never change.

Exactly! A few years ago, they elected their first lesbian mayor, Acevedo was touted as their first latino police chief, etc.

It’s be refreshing if Houston voters elected their first honest politician or first politician with IQ higher than the temperature in August. Honesty and intelligence would be real diversity in Houston politics and they’d be one of a kind.

May 22, 2019, 08:14 PM

mrvmax

How about this DA? She’s more of a problem than the chief:
https://www.click2houston.com/...-during-traffic-stop

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - An Assistant District Attorney’s refusal to accept charges against a teenager who was caught carrying a gun illegally forced Houston Police Department Officers to charge the teen with littering in order to confiscate the pistol, according to the Houston Police Officers Union.

It happened during a routine traffic stop in southeast Houston on Sunday afternoon.

Police officers said they saw a pistol get thrown out of the passenger window. Gutierrez later admitted that he told Flores to throw the loaded gun when he saw the police car.

When the officers called the district attorney’s intake division to file charges, two assistant DAs on duty refused to take them, telling the officers no crime had been committed.

"They just kept saying, 'It’s not a crime, he was just abandoning the gun,'” HPOU President Joe Gamaldi said.

Gamaldi said the assistant prosecutors were wrong.

"It’s unlawful carrying of a weapon (openly). I’ll take it one step further, the driver was 17 years old, you're not allowed to have a weapon when you’re under 18," he said.

In order to take the gun off the street, Gamaldi said the officers came up with the only other charge that seemed to fit: Littering.

"In that situation, they had nothing else. All they had was the Class C violation of littering. Once again, littering a gun out of a driver’s window,” Gamaldi said.

Gamaldi said the incident speaks to a much larger issue in the DA’s intake office: inexperience.

"She has decided that no longer will we have experienced prosecutors manning the intake office, we will instead hire people fresh out of law school to come and take these phone calls,” he said.

Neither Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg nor her staff was available to discuss the incident. KPRC2’s request for an interview was declined.

On Wednesday afternoon, DA spokesperson Dane Schiller issued a statement saying Gutierrez will face an additional charge.

"We have taken an additional look at this matter and today filed a charge against the 17-year-old driver of carrying a handgun in a vehicle, in this case, the violation being that the weapon was in plain view as opposed to being concealed. This is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.”