Category Archives: Crime and Punishment

Jailhouse woes for the Sheriff

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Been a bad couple of weeks for Sheriff Garcia. A year and a half after a mentally ill inmate was found festering in squalor in a Harris County jail cell – apparently for weeks – Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

How many crimes does your police department solve?

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Fewer than you think, unfortunately. Violent crime in America has been falling for two decades. That’s the good news. The bad news is, when crimes occur, they mostly go unpunished. In fact, for most major crimes, police don’t even make … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Crusading against court fees

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is important work. Houston attorney Jani Maselli Wood scanned the itemized list of “court costs” that people pay when they get in trouble with Texas law to see how much her indigent client owed even while sitting in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Eversole to seek Presidential pardon

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

For real. Three years after pleading guilty to lying to FBI agents and resigning his post as a Harris County commissioner to avoid further prosecution, Jerry Eversole is seeking a presidential pardon for his misdeeds. In a letter sent to … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Eversole to seek Presidential pardon

State Bar accuses Willingham prosecutor of misconduct

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. In a major turn in one of the country’s most-noted death penalty cases, the State Bar of Texas has filed a formal accusation of misconduct against the county prosecutor who convicted Cameron Todd Willingham, a Texas man executed in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on State Bar accuses Willingham prosecutor of misconduct

You have the right to a phone call

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

But it won’t help you much if you don’t know what number to call. [Harris County Sheriff’s] Deputies on Wednesday outlined a pilot program they hope will help lower the jail population by letting detainees copy five numbers out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on You have the right to a phone call

We need to know how body cameras are going to be used

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Having the body cameras is great, but it’s how we use them that really matters. Harris County’s two largest police agencies are testing body cameras on officers but refuse to release their policies detailing when the cameras should be turned … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

All backlogged rape kits have been tested

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Great news. Houston officials have completed the lab testing and review of a three-decade backlog of rape kits, yielding 850 matches in the national DNA database. On Monday, Mayor Annise Parker, District Attorney Devon Anderson and police department and crime … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Michael Morton still has work to do

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We should be glad he’s doing it. Michael Morton, who spent nearly 25 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, said Monday that under current DNA testing requirements, he wouldn’t have had access to the evidence that led … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Michael Morton still has work to do

HPD to get a pay raise

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker and the police union agree to a new contract. The Houston Police Department hopes a new union contract that targets raises primarily to younger officers will ward off recruiting struggles that have forced it to offer bonuses to … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Reforming the grand jury system

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County DA Devon Anderson comes out in favor of changing how grand juries are selected. I have been the Harris County district attorney for 17 months now. In that time, one of the most frequently recurring issues I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Reforming the grand jury system

Now what do we do with those body cameras?

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

KPRC addresses an important question. HPD has been running a pilot program regarding body cameras for more than a year. 100 officers are currently wearing a body camera. The department has yet to finalize a policy on the use of … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Now what do we do with those body cameras?

Commissioners Court approves body camera purchase

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously approved District Attorney Devon Anderson’s plan to spend $1.9 million in seized assets to equip Houston police officers and Harris County sheriff’s deputies with body cameras. County officials also said they would … Continue reading →

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

On game rooms and gambling

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like Fort Bend County wants to follow in the footsteps of Harris County when it comes to dealing with game rooms. Last weekend, Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputies raided the H-90 Game Room on U.S. 90A east of Richmond, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on On game rooms and gambling

A better way to cut taxes

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Grits has a suggestion for the Legislature. Reduce local jail costs – which have been a big driver of tax increases in many Texas counties – by reducing penalty categories for low-level marijuana possession (currently a Class B misdemeanor for … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

DA’s office to help buy body cams

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Very good news. Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson plans to purchase hundreds of body-worn cameras for Houston police officers and sheriff’s deputies, weeks after widespread protests erupted when a white Missouri police officer was not charged for fatally shooting … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

On grand juries

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some folks are trying to change the makeup of grand juries in Harris County. It was a largely black crowd with at least a third of the audience made up of white people and a few anarchists sprinkled in. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on On grand juries

Mayor Parker wants body cameras for HPD

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston won’t wait for federal funding before buying body cameras for all of the city’s uniformed police officers, Mayor Annise Parker said Wednesday, as activists launched a petition drive for an ordinance essentially mandating the mayor’s plans. Both the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mayor Parker wants body cameras for HPD

A “Mike Brown Law” for Houston

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: COMMUNITY TOWN HALL 12/4 TO DEMAND MIKE BROWN LAW HOUSTON- Hundreds plan to attend a town hall organized by Houston Justice, a grassroots activist group aimed at local criminal justice reform. The first goal is to pass … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on A “Mike Brown Law” for Houston

McClelland wants more money for more cops

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

And I want some answers before we go along with this request. Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland asked city leaders Tuesday for an additional $105 million over five years to hire hundreds of new officers as part of a plan … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

DA race developments

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Couple of stories of interest relating to the District Attorney’s race. First, DA Devon Anderson announced the creation of a special court to handle prostitution cases. A new program Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson announced on Thursday targets prostitutes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More suspects arrested from the rape kit backlog

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

More good news. Houston’s effort to test a nearly three-decade backlog of sexual assault kits has resulted in new charges filed against 19 people, city officials said Monday, including 10 suspects identified and arrested for the first time. One of … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More suspects arrested from the rape kit backlog

Anderson proposes her own pot prosecution reform plan

Posted on October 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a trend. A move to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana emerged Wednesday as a major issue in the contentious race for Harris County District attorney with both candidates claiming ownership of the idea. At a news … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Paxton investigation put off till after the election

Posted on September 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t really argue with this. The Travis County District Attorney’s Office will not pursue legal action against attorney general candidate state Sen. Ken Paxton until after the election, if at all, because of an internal policy aimed at preventing … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Paxton investigation put off till after the election

The “Everybody does it” defense

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You knew it was coming. A prominent line of defense has emerged for a newly appointed family court judge accused this month of false billing when she was working as a court-appointed lawyer representing abused children: Everybody does it. District … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The “Everybody does it” defense

Enos files complaint against Judge Franklin

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Lawyer Greg Enos filed a criminal complaint this month with the District Attorney’s Public Integrity Division alleging 311th District Court Judge Alicia Franklin submitted false and questionable pay vouchers to the county for court-appointed work in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pratt gets a reprimand

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Not exactly timely, but at least it’s on the record. The commission found that [Denise] Pratt, who resigned in late March, “failed to be diligent and failed to timely execute the business of … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Pratt gets a reprimand

Body cameras for HPD

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be very interested to see how this goes. Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland is asking City Hall for $8 million to equip 3,500 police officers over three years with small body cameras to record encounters between law enforcement and … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The slow decline of the death penalty in Texas

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe a little. Perhaps nothing symbolizes this state’s swagger over being tough on crime like “Old Sparky,” an electric chair that was used to execute 361 inmates and is now the centerpiece of a prison museum. It sits just minutes … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The slow decline of the death penalty in Texas

The overcrowded jails of Montgomery County

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes it’s hard to be a County Commissioner. Montgomery County officials are facing a dilemma partly of their own making: What to do with an ever-growing jail population after selling off another lockup. The county’s jailers are struggling to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The overcrowded jails of Montgomery County

Ogg challenges Anderson’s handling of Ryan Chandler investigation

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This gets a little complicated, so stay with me. A county prosecutor who was engaged to fired Houston homicide detective Sgt. Ryan Chandler emailed him an office database search of all his cases as he was under investigation for possible … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

RIP, Randy Ertman

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

If you’ve lived in Houston long enough, this story will bring back a flood of memories and emotions. Randy Ertman, a house painter who became a blunt-spoken, combative advocate for crime victims’ rights after his daughter and another teen were … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on RIP, Randy Ertman

The debate over handling drug cases in the DA race

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

An update from the Chron. Incumbent Devon Anderson and challenger Kim Ogg have somewhat similar thoughts on dealing with misdemeanor marijuana possession, but are on polar opposites when it comes to trace amounts of crack cocaine, a perennial debate in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The debate over handling drug cases in the DA race

Game room lawsuit dismissed

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From last week: After a lengthy tussle over new game room regulations for Harris County, a federal judge Tuesday issued an order denying requests from a local game room owner to stop the new regulations. “The game room situation in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Game room lawsuit dismissed