A woman driving alone in the middle of the night is stopped by a policeman for speeding. He decides to give her only a warning. But he makes a request -- her phone number.
The woman becomes suspicious and angry, and she ponders whether to comply.
Such scenarios are playing out across the city because of a new Houston Police Department mandate to collect phone numbers on all traffic stops, said the Houston Police Officers Union, the elected bargaining agent for the department's 5,400 officers.
Police Chief C.O. Bradford said Friday no such mandate exists and that the controversy stems from subordinates' memos he can supersede. The hoopla is premature, he said, since the policy has not been finalized.
Trust between the police and the public has often been shaky, and union President Hans Marticiuc said the policy puts officers in an especially vulnerable position and may violate certain privacy rights.
"Something is just inherently wrong with that," Marticiuc said. "If the person is not under arrest or charged with any wrongdoing, why are we gathering that type of information?"
The American Civil Liberties Union said motorists cannot be required to give their phone numbers to police.
Bradford said the issue is being distorted and he will meet with officers at 9 a.m. Tuesday to hear their concerns.
"Nowhere does the policy require officers to take phone numbers," he said. "Some people have jumped the gun."
The controversy stems from a policy Bradford handed down last month for all HPD patrol officers.
The minimum productivity standards require officers to prove they are earning their paycheck by recording their day's activities for their captain's review.
The first such reports are due Aug. 10. Officers are credited for responding to calls, jailing suspects, writing reports, attending court and making traffic stops, regardless of whether a ticket is issued.
During Bradford's vacation last month, Marticiuc said, Executive Assistant Chief Joe Breshears, serving as acting chief, imposed the "ludicrous plan" to collect phone numbers.
The union said the numbers are being sought to ensure supervisors that officers are not fabricating traffic stops.
"We may be crossing some lines we shouldn't be crossing," said Marticiuc, adding that some motorists, particularly a few women, have told him they are uneasy with the plan.
"It's not fair to the citizens," he said. "There's no need to divulge that kind of private information if you're not getting arrested or getting a citation."
Marticiuc fears the tactic may violate the new racial profiling law, which limits information that can be collected from minorities. ACLU echoes those concerns.
"It doesn't sound like a very good idea," said Annette Lamoreaux, East Texas regional director for the ACLU of Texas. "While I support efforts to make sure officers are doing their jobs, that department has a lot more pressing problems than making sure whether cops are making traffic stops."
The police union is urging officers to use caution, especially during traffic stops, because of potential problems.
"The potential for complaints and misunderstandings that could permanently destroy a patrol officer's career ... has been significantly increased," Marticiuc said in a memo Thursday...
The police union may withdraw support for the minimum productivity standards if the dispute is not resolved, Marticiuc said.
by Peggy O'Hare
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle
