Announcing: This Year’s Scholarship Winners!
By Tom Kennedy
For the first time in history, the Houston Police Officers Union's Education Committee awarded college scholarships to each and every entrant in the Union's annual essay contest.
Mary Young, Education Committee chairwoman, was delighted to explain that all 36 of this year's entrants - the sons and daughters of police officers - were awarded at least a $500 scholarship to help them in their first year of higher education.
"This year we broke the money down so that everybody receives some amount of scholarship money," Young said.
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President's Message
By Gary Blankinship
President's Message: First, Let’s Sort Out The Facts In Westside Case
Over the past few months, a large amount of attention has been focused on the allegations leveled at officers assigned to a gang squad at Westside.
The issue first surfaced when a local storage business sent Chief McClelland and Harris County District Attorney, Judge Pat Lykos, a video captured by their security cameras of an arrest of suspects who had just committed a burglary in the Westside area. The video showed them throwing stolen merchandise from the vehicle as the police approached and they then fled on foot.
The allegations against the officers were serious. In response, our legal department acted rapidly to insure that each officer was properly represented. In addition to our in-house staff of top-shelf legal counselors, we contracted with a contingent of superb attorneys to represent the legal interests of each officer being investigated by HPD and the DA's office.
To date, the video has not been released to the public nor has it been released to the officers or their attorneys. The Department, in breaking with years of practice, decided not to furnish the officers the video recording during the IAD process. The officers and their attorneys were allowed to view the recording in a room with an IAD investigator present. But they were not given a copy for review.
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Additional News
Editorial: HPOU’s Police Labor Conference & Aug. 10 College Fair Answer Crucial Needs
By Tom Kennedy
AS TO BE EXPECTED, HPOU IS SHOWING ITS DEEP BLUE colors with two recently scheduled programs.
Realizing the importance of communications between all Houston area law enforcement agencies and especially their union representatives, HPOU President Gary Blankinship hosted a special unprecedented meeting on Friday afternoon, June 25.
HPOU Sponsoring First-Ever College Fair for HPD Officers
By Tom Kennedy
HPD officers' increasing demand for college degree information has prompted the HPOU Education Committee to set up an unprecedented College Education Fair for Aug. 10 in the Breck Porter Building.
Bike Relay Team Raises $154,000 for Leukemia!
By Tom Kennedy
The Houston Police Bicycle Relay Team is literally going "great guns," having raised $154,000 to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Area Law Enforcement Leaders Hear Blankinship Unity Message
By Tom Kennedy
For the first time in history, HPOU - under the leadership of its president, Gary Blankinship - called together law enforcement organizational leaders from throughout the Greater Houston area to share mutual concerns and a vast amount of updated information about current policing issues.
NAPO’S Federal Legislative Scorecard From 111th Congress, 2nd Session (June)
By Tom Kennedy
Editor's note: Here is NAPO's latest scorecard on police-related issues before Congress. Each issue is filed here under general topics by the Senate or House bill identifier number alongside NAPO's position (support or opposition) and the latest actions taken.
The legislation under review, in order of issue, covers Budget & Appropriations, Collective Bargaining, COPS Program and Department of Justice Grant Funding, Criminal Justice, Federal Oversight, Firearms, Health Care, Homeland Security, Immigration, Law Enforcement Due Process & "Bill of Rights," Pension and Social Security Reform, and Public Safety Officer Survivor Assistance.
RMS System: Get Ready! New System Does Everything but Make Coffee
By Walter Shields
As some of you may or may not know there's a new sheriff in town to replace the current OLO system and hopefully make the regular street officer's job a little bit easier. It's called the Records Management System, RMS for short, and it is designed by Tiburon, Inc. It is currently being tweaked, poked and prodded as you read this article, and will debut in 2012.
Winning Essay: Taser Use -- Proceed with Caution and Remember Spark Tests
By Melanie Guzman
(Editor's Note: This year's highest-graded essay on Taser use was written by Melanie Guzman, daughter of Antonio Guzman. Melanie, a $1,000 scholarship winner, is a Harvard University student. Here is her winning essay.)
Tasers are a useful tool available to police officers. They help protect the officer while also serving as an alternative to deadly force in circumstances where the officer's safety is at issue. But despite their positive impact on law enforcement, the use of Tasers is not without controversy.
OSSO Presents Record Number Of 2010 College Scholarships
By Tom Kennedy
The Organization of Spanish-Speaking Officers (OSS) presented a record number of $500 scholarships to 15 recipients at a special July 7 ceremony at HPOU.
Fallen Officers Remembered: Officer James Donald Harris
By Nelson Zoch
James Donald Harris was born in Syracuse, New York, on October 17, 1952. He grew up in the Syracuse-Auburn area and graduated from Auburn High School in 1971. He served his country honorably for three and a half years in the United States Air Force as a military policeman. Harris joined the Houston Police Department in Police Cadet Class No. 74 on March 29, 1976 and graduated on July 16 of that year. His first assignment was to the evening shift at the Park Place Substation. He later transferred to the K-9 Corps. He wore Badge No. 2973.
Fallen Officers Remembered: Officer William F. Weiss
By Nelson Zoch
In the summer of 1901, there resided in Houston two brothers from Powder Springs, Georgia. These two young men were cocky, confident and seemingly of means beyond appearance. They were J. T. Vaughn and his brother Newt. Their apartment/business was at 1113½ Congress Avenue between Fannin and San Jacinto. It was common knowledge in the community that they were well supplied with money since they were in the money-lending business. J. T. also was a law student at the time. It was reported that their father and a brother practiced medicine in their home state of Georgia.
Psych Services: Worry Time: Don’t Feed the Monsters!
By Lisa Garmezy
Your bills, your relationship, your blood pressure - this paper couldn't hold all the worries that HPD employees face. Supposedly, worry is handled by a simple decision tree. You ask yourself if you can do anything about the problem.
Shotgun Corner: Big Game Rifles and Half-Pound Bullets
By M. D. Beale Jr. (HPD Retired)
Continuing our journey visiting the "dark side" of shooting - we come to rifles. I think the African "stopping" rifles are the most interesting. The large caliber hammerless side-by-side double barrel with double triggers and extractors - not ejectors - is generally considered the best choice because of its extreme reliability, high quality, fine balance, smooth handling, quick aiming and its unmatched speed in getting off the second shot. A very close second choice is the big bolt action.
July/August Obituaries
By Tom Kennedy
Here are obituaries of HPD family members for July and August.
July/August Thank You Notes
Here are the latest Thank You notes to HPOU.
Badge & Gun Archives
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