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| NEWS > 20 June 2007 |
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Police discipline shift urged
VICTORIA'S police watchdog has called for an overhaul of the way the force disciplines or sacks its members, saying the system is "slow, broken and convoluted" and advantages bent police.
The move by the Office of Police Integrity to deal with long-held concerns about the disciplinary system comes after repeated claims by the State Government that the anti-corruption system is adequate.
In February, The Age revealed claims from senior police that the system was failing and that the State Government had failed to fix it.
After the OPI released its report into th... Read more
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KHOU - Houston,TX,USA
20 June 2007
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Dallas Police Department, TX
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Officer admits stealing cash d
A Dallas police officer has told authorities that he took money from a motorist he pulled over Saturday night in the parking lot of an Old East Dallas drive-through liquor store.
Officer Mark Torres was placed on administrative leave Monday night. Hours later, after being questioned by public-integrity investigators over the $700 theft, he was arrested on one count of felony theft by a public servant.
"Every time a Dallas officer gets in trouble, it's very disappointing," said Police Chief David Kunkle. "The fact that he thought he could get by with it is disturbing to me."
About 9:35 p.m. Saturday, police say, Officer Torres pulled over Raul Hernandez, 40, in a routine traffic stop in the 100 block of North Fitzhugh Avenue.
"Officer Torres had Mr. Hernandez exit the vehicle and place his hands on the driver's side door of his vehicle while Officer Torres conducted a search of him," an arrest warrant affidavit states. "Officer Torres reached inside Mr. Hernandez's front left pants pocket and took out a wad of money."
Hernandez, who was driving a 1995 Ford F-150 pickup, told other police officers that $700 had been taken from him.
On Monday night, public integrity investigators confronted Officer Torres, 31, with the allegation when he showed up to work an overnight shift at the central patrol station. He was arrested after admitting that he took the money, court records state.
Officer Torres also told investigators that this was the first time that he had taken money from a motorist. Police searched his home and found $400, records show.
Police said Officer Torres also turned off his in-car camera when he made the traffic stop.
"We'll do whatever is necessary to ensure that the cameras are not turned off or sabotaged," Chief Kunkle said.
Officer Torres has been disciplined several times since joining the police force in 2001. In 2003, he was suspended for 20 days after investigators determined that he missed court dates, discredited the department and made a false report.
The theft is the latest in a series of incidents dating to the mid-1990s in which Dallas officers have been accused of stealing from motorists, usually from Spanish-speaking immigrants.
Officer Winston Russell pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor charges in 2004 after he admitted that he stole money from an undercover officer posing as an immigrant motorist. Police say he also took money from two other drivers during traffic stops.
In 1996, Officer David Chang was sentenced to four years in prison after he admitted that he stole money from as many as 20 drivers during traffic stops.
In 1995, Officer Craig McGaha was sentenced to two years in jail after he pleaded guilty to taking money from two other officers during a sting operation.
Officer Torres was released from the Dallas County Jail on $1,500 bail after spending about four hours behind bars. He is likely to be fired soon and could face up to two years in prison on the theft charge.
Police said they did not know Hernandez's residency status. He could not be reached for comment.
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