Tag Archives: HPD

No independent investigation of the AstroWorld tragedy

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure how I feel about this yet. Harris County will not launch an independent investigation into the Astroworld festival disaster after commissioners declined to support a plan by County Judge Lina Hidalgo to do so. Instead, the group on … Continue reading →

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Some more AstroWorld stuff

Posted on November 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Firefighter logs from the event tell the story of early chaos and continued problems. Houston firefighters arrived at a small command post parked on the far-flung Orange Lot, about a mile from the festival grounds. They spent the day listening … Continue reading →

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The safety protocols

Posted on November 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We won’t know for some time what exactly went wrong at AstroWorld, but we do know what should have been in place to keep the concertgoers safe. When tens of thousands of people are packed into a confined area like … Continue reading →

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Here come the AstroWorld lawsuits

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As well they should. At least 34 Astroworld Festival attendees have sued or plan to sue the event promoter in what is expected to be a bevy of litigation related to the mayhem at NRG Park. At least eight people died and dozens more were injured Friday … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

A timeline of the AstroWorld tragedy

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good reporting about a terrible event. For 37 minutes after Houston police and firefighters responded to a “mass casualty” event at a packed Astroworld rap concert where attendees were crushed against the stage Friday evening, Travis Scott continued performing. Police … Continue reading →

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Deshaun Watson not traded

Posted on November 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He’s still with the Texans at least though the end of the year. If quarterback Deshaun Watson had been able to settle the 22 civil lawsuits before the NFL’s trade deadline on Tuesday, he would be leaving Houston for Miami, … Continue reading →

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A brief meditation on the Deshaun Watson situation

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let us pause for a moment and contemplate this John McClain column about the likely football fate for the Texans’ soon-to-be-former star quarterback. Deadlines have a way of initiating action, and if the Texans are going to ship quarterback Deshaun … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner orders unvaxxed city employees to get tested twice a week

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So maybe get vaccinated, and avoid all the hassle. Unvaccinated city workers must get tested for COVID-19 twice a month and report their results to the human resources department, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Wednesday. Turner signed an executive order implementing … Continue reading →

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Appeals court overturns verdict in firefighter pay parity lawsuit

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. An appeals court on Thursday reversed a ruling that declared Houston firefighters’ pay-parity measure unconstitutional, a major win for the fire union and one that could have far-reaching effects on city finances. The fire union won approval of a … Continue reading →

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More criminal complaints against Deshaun Watson

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yeesh. Multiple women have filed complaints with the Houston Police Department related to Texans’ quarterback Deshaun Watson, according to both sides in the football player’s civil sexual assault cases. Almost half of the 22 women who filed civil claims against … Continue reading →

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Again with the existential Constable question

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a long and detailed story in the Chron about the history and purpose of the Constable office in Harris County, where they are bigger and do more than anywhere else in the state. The lawsuit’s allegations were stunning: Harris … Continue reading →

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The HPD transparency portal

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is good. Traffic stops. Discipline. Use of force. Following widespread calls for police accountability, Houston residents now can use the city’s “Police Transparency Hub” to get far more detailed, accessible information about some of police’s most controversial topics than … Continue reading →

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City’s budget passes

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There was a little bit of drama, but nothing too big. Houston’s City Council voted Wednesday to approve a $5.1 billion budget for the next fiscal year that relies heavily on a massive infusion of federal aid to close a … Continue reading →

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Here comes our boring budget

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Save the drama for the budget amendments. A few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Sylvester Turner painted a dire picture of the city’s finances as he laid out his plan to balance last year’s $5 billion city budget. Like … Continue reading →

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Houston gets to have a boring budget

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks, President Biden and all you voters in Georgia! Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to use an influx of federal cash to give firefighters a “raise the city can afford,” expand the Houston Police Department and replace lost revenue from the … Continue reading →

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Houston police reform items announced

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Thursday unveiled a sweeping effort to reform policing in Houston by banning no-knock warrants for non-violent offenses, restructuring the police oversight board, publicly releasing body camera footage when officers injure or kill residents, … Continue reading →

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The guilty verdicts in the George Floyd murder trial

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t comment on this yesterday because I didn’t have anything original to say. Today I want to echo what so many others are saying in the wake of the guilty verdicts for the police officer who murdered George Floyd. … Continue reading →

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One crime Texas isn’t so tuff on

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And that’s sexual assault, in the category of crimes Deshaun Watson has been accused of. As the Houston Police Department investigates at least one criminal complaint against Deshaun Watson, a review of the allegations made in civil court against the … Continue reading →

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Where are we with Houston police reform?

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It feels like it’s been on the back burner for awhile, but we’re about to get some action this month. Houston officials are developing a system for residents to report police misconduct online and will announce changes later this month … Continue reading →

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Why lawsuits?

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

If you’ve wondered why the women who have accused Deshaun Watson of sexual harassment and assault have filed lawsuits against him instead of police reports, this Chron story offers some reasons. The 22 women suing Deshaun Watson for allegedly sexually … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

HPD now investigating Deshaun Watson

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Someone filed a report. Already facing a rash of civil lawsuits, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson now has been named in a criminal complaint, according to the Houston Police Department. HPD confirmed it “is now conducting an investigation and will … Continue reading →

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Will there be any criminal complaints filed against Deshaun Watson?

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe? It all depends on what Tony Buzbee means, and Lord only knows about that. In his latest Instagram post about the sexual assault allegations against Deshaun Watson, Houston attorney Tony Buzbee said Tuesday that he plans to take evidence … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner selects the new HPD Chief

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Chief Finner. Houston’s next police chief will be Troy Finner, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Thursday afternoon. Finner is one of outgoing Chief Art Acevedo’s two top assistant chiefs. Turner’s decision comes just days after Acevedo abruptly announced that he … Continue reading →

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Who might succeed Acevedo?

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Names are floating about. With Police Chief Art Acevedo announcing his departure from Houston, law enforcement insiders say they believe Mayor Sylvester Turner is likely to select one of Acevedo’s two top assistants — Executive Assistant Chiefs Troy Finner and … Continue reading →

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HPD Chief Art Acevedo leaving

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Headed to Miami. Police Chief Art Acevedo is leaving Houston to take over the Miami Police Department, the chief told his officers in an email obtained by the Chronicle. Acevedo informed HPD troops in an email dated Monday, March 15, … Continue reading →

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A closer look at the Aguirre/Hotze debacle

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This WaPo story was pointed out in the comments here, and it’s worth your time to read. I should note that while the Houston Chronicle has not (at least so far) identified the air conditioning repairman that Aguirre attacked, this … Continue reading →

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Aguirre’s arraignment

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The latest update on the Aguirre/Hotze fever-dream “vote fraud” case. An ex-Houston police officer on Friday swore he is “done” with private investigations after being arrested and charged with assaulting an air conditioning repairman he claimed was involved in a … Continue reading →

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Hotze spews some BS

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That could be a perennial headline, like a pinned tweet, but here it’s for a specific purpose. Conservative activist Steven Hotze said Wednesday he does not know if the former Houston police captain he hired to investigate voter fraud really … Continue reading →

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The real danger of unhinged conspiracy theories

Posted on December 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Because sometimes malevolent people act them out, with potentially deadly consequences for others. An air conditioning repairman was driving in south Houston around 5:30 a.m. on Oct. 19 when a black SUV rammed the back of his truck. When he … Continue reading →

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Why can’t we get our jail population down?

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I found this story from Thanksgiving weekend frustrating. Harris County’s efforts to reduce its jail population have flatlined, despite more than $7.5 million aimed at alleviating systemic burdens so that the county could attempt to reduce its inmates by a … Continue reading →

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More on police oversight boards

Posted on November 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Ours in Houston isn’t very good. Some other cities do it better. We can learn from them. Houston’s police oversight board is the weakest among Texas’ five largest cities and suffers from “a complete lack of transparency and public reporting,” … Continue reading →

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A bill to ban no-knock warrants

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Probably won’t go anywhere, but well worth the effort. A bill pre-filed this week by state Rep. Gene Wu would ban no-knock warrants across Texas, marking the first major legislative response to last year’s botched drug raid that led to the deaths of … Continue reading →

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Mayor will support the task force recommendations

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good start, now let’s get it going. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday endorsed “almost all” the 104 recommendations laid out last week by his Task Force on Policing Reform. Speaking at a virtual city council meeting, Turner said a few … Continue reading →

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Here comes the police reform task force report

Posted on October 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Now let’s do something with it. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday rolled out his task force’s report on policing reform in Houston, but said he needed more time to digest the 153-page report before taking action on its recommendations. The … Continue reading →

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