Thursday, September 22, 2011

HPD officers disciplined for role in cover up

The other shoe fell on Tuesday as seven police officers, including an assistant chief, were disciplined for their role in attempting to cover-up an accident involving an HPD officer whose blood alcohol concentration was more than twice the legal limit.

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On April 13, 2011, Houston Police Department Sergeant Ruben Trejo collided with a private school bus while driving to work in the afternoon. A blood test showed Mr. Trejo had an alcohol concentration of .203.

According to accounts, officers covered up open bottles of alcohol in Mr. Trejo's vehicle and threatened to arrest anyone taking pictures of the scene.

This same behavior by non-peace officers would have resulted in criminal charges being filed. But for uniformed police officers attempting to cover up a crime by a fellow officer, the punishment ranges from a slap on the wrist to a day without pay.

I would have posted a copy of the accident report except that HPD accident reports are no longer available for download on Vectra.com.

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