bwahahaha wrote:KRM45 wrote:bwahahaha wrote:
I'm speaking of both. DPS was one of a host of agencies I looked into around 2000 before joining a federal agency. I'm aware of the DPS' duties and respectfully stand by my earlier comments regarding their service.
Oh, my... a "Federal Agency" I'm sure they are much more beneficial to public safety than the DPS...
Sorry, my point was that I've seen the DPS from a different perspective than most, not that I went to a better place. Apologies for mentioning it...seriously.
Well, from the point of view of a long time experienced Texas officer, I would have to say that you have some valid points and a somewhat jaundiced view also. DPS (and I will refer just to the Highway Patrol Division) is a full service police organization. Their primary function is to enforce traffic laws, which may or may not be just revenue gathering, but they also do everything else that any other cop does in Texas. They handle accidents, disturbance calls, shootings, bar fights, robberies, and anything else. In many areas, DPS is the primary backup for the local agency and the locals are very glad for the help.
I worked in a small rural town for a few years. I went by when DPS was on a traffic stop several times, and had them come by when I was. I also had them go by disturbance calls when I was the only officer on duty. I remember when we had a riot one night at a bar party. We had all of the officers on duty that were not needed getting sleep for the next shift, which meant about 5 of us were available. There were about 1200 people at the party when someone started fighting, shots were fired, and one car ran over some people trying to leave. We called for assistance and the county SO put it out (in three counties). Our own deputies were 30 miles away and started our way (both of them). Deputies from two neighboring counties and about 5 cities also headed our way (and I estimate the closest was about 20 miles off). DPS units from all three counties also responded and I believe some of them were the first there. They also ended up with more officers on scene than any other agency (including my own). They just pitched in and helped clear the problems and handle the reports with no arrogance or sense of anything other than cops helping out.
Yes, their primary function is traffic. Many of them seem to feel they are law enforcement officers, which means they give very little leeway on traffic offenses. This makes them seem like revenue officers to me, especially since Texas is now using traffic fines as a revenue source for non-traffic related problems (check out the surcharge program). Others, and me, see traffic safety as a real problem that kills more people than crime does. When I enforce traffic laws, I am doing my best to save lives by stopping behavior that is potentially very dangerous to others. These officers will not be writing tickets for 2 miles over (like some agencies I have seen do).
Overall, DPS is a good agency with some officers that could be replaced in my opinion. Of course, I have not seen too many agencies that I do not feel that way about, with the exception of some of the federal agencies. I am not a very big fan of the FBI, as one example, but that is a whole separate story.
AS to the original stop, because I really do not want to hijack the thread, I believe the officer made some serious mistakes. I have problems with the disarming of the CHL. The law says that he must reasonably believe there is a danger. None was articulated here though we do only have one side of the story. I do not believe a general fear of citizens having guns meets the legal requirement, but I am seeing this as a trend in cases where people report being disarmed.
I also have a problem with the way he returned the weapon and his instructions. The law says the weapon will be returned to the CHL before he is discharged from the scene. Placing the weapon in the car away from the CHL and with it unloaded does not meet the law, IMHO. There is also no excuse for it. I wonder what he would do if the CHL went to the car, picked up the weapon, loaded it, and reholstered it right there. No, I am not recommending anyone test this out for a reaction, but I do think the officer did not meet the law and had no call for what he did.
Might I suggest that TSRA start looking into this problem and maybe work with DPS on how they should handle the disarming and returning of the weapon. If DPS adopts a policy on this, I think most local agencies would soon adopt similar policies.
