Trinidad police officers speak on state decision to shut department down
Trinidad police officers frustrated with department closure
Members of the Trinidad Police Department spoke at a city council meeting on Tuesday to express their frustration with the state closing their department. FOX 4's David Sentendrey has more.
TRINIDAD, Texas - We're hearing from members of the Trinidad Police Department just days before the department is scheduled to shut down following a TCOLE investigation revealing numerous violations.
Trinidad City Council meeting
What's New:
Trinidad police officers spoke at a Trinidad City Council meeting on Tuesday night.
It was the first chance for officers to speak publicly since the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement stripped Trinidad of the license to operate a police department.
TCOLE's investigation said the Trinidad Police Department "failed to meet minimum standards" and "was unable to provide evidence that the agency provides public benefit to the community."
The investigation found Trinidad Police didn't have 18 required policies in place, including policies on use of force, vehicle pursuit, professional conduct, and active shooters.
What they're saying:
Interim Trinidad police chief Cameron Beckham blamed previous leadership for the department's issues during the city council meeting.
"Piss-poor management is what I'm just going to say," Beckham said. He also said he believes most of TCOLE's issues with the department have been fixed under his watch.
"Ask yourself this: why? Is it all the bad juju that's going around? Is it all the bad publicity? Dallas gets bad publicity all the time, right? Fort Worth gets bad publicity all the time."
Beckham's wife, Misty, spoke during the meeting and claimed former Trinidad Police Chief Charles Gregory forced her husband's involvement in two controversial arrests that put Trinidad in the national spotlight.
"He did his job. He didn't want to do what happened," Misty Beckham said. "He didn't want to bend his integrity, but he wasn't the chief at the time. He was just doing what he was being told to do. And look at where we're at today."
Controversy in Trinidad
The backstory:
The Trinidad Police Department has been embroiled in controversy since May, when citizen journalist Jennifer Combs was arrested and charged with a felony after making a Facebook post about the city's water issues.
Combs' post stated she had seen reports that people had been hospitalized after drinking the city's water. Trinidad Police Chief Charles Gregory responded by saying Combs’ post "creates fear, panic, or unnecessary emergency response within a community."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Charges dismissed against Trinidad water protestors
A Henderson County grand jury and a municipal judge have dismissed all charges against two citizen journalists arrested in Trinidad, Texas, following public outcry over the city's ongoing water issues and First Amendment rights.
A Henderson County grand jury declined to indict Combs, who has since filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Trinidad and Gregory which alleges she was arrested in "an act of deliberate political retaliation."
One day after FOX 4's initial report on Combs, citizen journalist Winston Noles was arrested and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct after protesting outside Trinidad City Hall with a sign with expletives targeting "bad cops." The charge was later dismissed.
Former Trinidad Police Chief Charles Gregory
Gregory resigned from his position as Trinidad Police Chief following multiple controversies after saying he had "nothing to hide" regarding Combs and Knowles' arrest at a Trinidad City Council meeting. His final day with the department was June 19.
Gregory has declined interview requests from FOX 4, citing pending lawsuits.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Judge increases scrutiny on controversial Trinidad arrest
A judge says he was misled by the Trinidad Police Department when he approved a search warrant for a woman over a Facebook post in May. FOX 4's David Sentendrey has more.
Following news of Gregory's resignation, the Trinidad judge who approved the search warrant for Combs wrote a scathing letter against him and his police department.
The letter questions "the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of information presented" to him by two Trinidad police officers in relation to Combs' search warrant.
In August, the Henderson County District Attorney's Office announced it would stop taking cases from the department.
What's next:
The Trinidad Police Department, which employs five full-time officers and several part-time officers, is scheduled to be shut down on Friday.
Trinidad officials will meet on Friday to discuss potential legal action to keep the department open. Such a move would require tax dollars, something the city is short on as it tries to solve its water crisis.
A Texas Rangers investigation into the Trinidad Police Department remains ongoing, and could bring criminal charges.
The Source: Information in this story comes from a Trinidad City Council meeting and previous FOX 4 reporting.