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Maybe I'm just a knee-jerk liberal at heart, but here's how I look at it:

—A habitually drunken mope who gets into a bar fight and stabs someone goes to prison maybe for a year. It's not his first time. It won't be his last. The taxpayers house and feed him for a while, and he gets out and does it again. Everyone knows that is all life holds for him.

—A cop who is convicted of a felony loses his job and any possibility of being a cop or holding any position of trust, ever. He's left with a bunch a legal bills and no income. Probably he loses his house. Maybe his wife dumps him. His family treats him like the proverbial black sheep. Probably most of his former friends are "busy" if he calls them.

That's a lot worse than just spending some time in the slammer.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:Maybe I'm just a knee-jerk liberal at heart, but here's how I look at it:

—A habitually drunken mope who gets into a bar fight and stabs someone goes to prison maybe for a year. It's not his first time. It won't be his last. The taxpayers house and feed him for a while, and he gets out and does it again. Everyone knows that is all life holds for him.

—A cop who is convicted of a felony loses his job and any possibility of being a cop or holding any position of trust, ever. He's left with a bunch a legal bills and no income. Probably he loses his house. Maybe his wife dumps him. His family treats him like the proverbial black sheep. Probably most of his former friends are "busy" if he calls them.

That's a lot worse than just spending some time in the slammer.

- Jim

The mope didn't take an oath to uphold the law; the LEO did. That is where I think he deserves more. Sure, the LEO MAY have more to lose, but maybe not. The LEO could be unmarried, living in an apartment and have rich parents that would pay all of his legal bills, so speculating on that part is hard to say. And when he gets out he can find a job mowing lawns or flipping burgers. The price you have to pay.

Keith B wrote:Sure, the LEO MAY have more to lose, but maybe not. The LEO could be unmarried, living in an apartment and have rich parents that would pay all of his legal bills, so speculating on that part is hard to say.

You're right.

It tends to be taken into account at sentencing. That's when they can consider the guy's general character, get his pastor to swear what a great guy he is, etc. Or not.

Sometimes that goes wrong. There are people who talked their way out of a prison sentence and then went on to do worse things.

- Jim

Video: http://www.khou.com/video?id=149931525&sec=548217" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

recaffeination wrote:If he's convicted, his HPD job is over but is he still eligble to work as a cop in Dallas?

That's the truth! I can't recall chapter and verse in order to bring everybody up to speed on the details,
but when Dallas PD got a new chief a few years back, he started cleaning house of all the scoundrels in DPD.

There were a bunch of Dallas LEO's caught in all kinds of mischief. They are now ex-LEO's.

It's tough to be a Dallas LEO. They get the worst crime areas, plus they make a lot less $ than some speed trap cops
in civilized nearby suburbs.

SIA

Well, the ofifcers name is Dumas. Yep, pretty well think that is close to fitting him.

...long as his middle name's GONE...

speedsix wrote:...long as his middle name's GONE...

or WADDA

I have been wondering as to the identity of Dumas' drinking buddies.
I also have been wondering what they do for a living.
Enquiring minds gots to know.

According to later reports, the suspect was not "flashing" in the usual sense. He was demonstrating body piercings that were, shall we say, south of his tan line.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas ... 532112.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.click2houston.com/news/HPD-o ... /pb35wx/-/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also Mr. Dumas is not charged with the pistol-whipping. That was one of his companions, who was not arrested on the scene.

BTW, the name Dumas is French and pronounced "doo mah" in Gay Paree. I can't vouch for how Mr. Dumas pronounces it.

- Jim

A friend of the suspect was also arrested and charged with failing to report a felony.

Would someone please explain this to me. Since when is it a crime for failure to report a crime?

http://law.onecle.com/texas/penal/38.171.00.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
...oh, since about Sept of '03...

SC1903A3 wrote:

A friend of the suspect was also arrested and charged with failing to report a felony.

Would someone please explain this to me. Since when is it a crime for failure to report a crime?

§ 38.171. FAILURE TO REPORT FELONY. (a) A person commits
an offense if the person:
(1) observes the commission of a felony under
circumstances in which a reasonable person would believe that an
offense had been committed in which serious bodily injury or death
may have resulted; and
(2) fails to immediately report the commission of the
offense to a peace officer or law enforcement agency under
circumstances in which:
(A) a reasonable person would believe that the
commission of the offense had not been reported; and
(B) the person could immediately report the
commission of the offense without placing himself or herself in
danger of suffering serious bodily injury or death.
(b) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but this offense is used to prosecute people who were involved in a crime but did not commit the main criminal act. The guy who was arrested was not simply a bystander. He was allegedly involved in the fight.

Think of the mopes who make cell phone video of crimes and put them on YouTube without bothering to tell the police. Usually these people know who the perpetrators are and other material information.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but this offense is used to prosecute people who were involved in a crime but did not commit the main criminal act. The guy who was arrested was not simply a bystander. He was allegedly involved in the fight.

Think of the mopes who make cell phone video of crimes and put them on YouTube without bothering to tell the police. Usually these people know who the perpetrators are and other material information.

- Jim

I thank that was the intent Jim, but the way it is written will apply to anyone who would know that the crime was being committed but turn their backs and walk away without reporting it.