• David Tewes •
• Originally published January 23, 2009 at 1:52 a.m., updated January 23, 2009 at 1:52 a.m.

A police union is challenging a proposed amendment to Victoria's city charter, saying the change would be detrimental to officers and taxpayers.

"As it reads now, we recommend they vote against the proposed amendment," said Darlene Lanham with the Texas Municipal Police Association.

The Citizens for Responsible Government has proposed that voters approve eight amendments to the city charter. One would prevent the city council from spending money on behalf of any current or former indicted city official unless approved by voters.

Russell Pruitt, with the citizens group, said a city official is an elected official or a member of management. Rank-and-file employees would not be included in that definition, he said.

The police union disagrees.

"We're reading that to mean that police officers would be counted as public officials and that they would be, at some point, terminated if they were indicted for a felony," Lanham said. "They wouldn't be able to draw their salary or get their medical benefits or retirement."

If the voters approve the amendment, it could have financial and public safety impacts, she said.

The financial impact would be from lawsuits by officers who are terminated, especially if they are found not guilty. It would impact public safety because officers may not want to work in a city with that policy, Lanham said.

The union represents about 80 of Victoria's police officers and they were so concerned about the proposed change they contacted the association, she said.

Pruitt said he thinks this is a tactic to attack his group's charter proposals.

"Of course they are taking the worst-case scenario," he said. "That's going to be their approach to try and keep the charter amendments from passing."

It is not the group's intent to keep the city council from providing funding for the legal defense of indicted rank-and-file employees, although the city has never done that anyway, Pruitt said.

"We feel like common sense should prevail," he said. "If any one of our charter amendments is going to pass, it's this one."

That's because the public was outraged when the council agreed to help fund the legal defense of the mayor, former city attorney, police chief and a police officer when they were indicted last year, he said.

Mayor Will Armstrong said he agrees with the police union's interpretation.

"Basically we're telling our police department, our fire department and our public officials that we're not going to pay them anything, including salary," he said. "I believe the police association is very concerned about the relationship that could develop between the police department and city if that charter provision proposed by the citizens group is adopted."

Lanham said the union will continue to track the proposal and actively campaign against it.

"Our concern is to promote professionalism in law enforcement through education and representation," she said. "This is just one way we look out for our members' interest."

• PROPOSED AMENDMENT

  All powers and authority which are expressly or impliedly granted to or possessed by the City of Victoria shall be vested in and exercised by the City Council, but the City Council shall have no power to:(d) Appropriate ...

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PROPOSED AMENDMENT

All powers and authority which are expressly or impliedly granted to or possessed by the City of Victoria shall be vested in and exercised by the City Council, but the City Council shall have no power to:(d) Appropriate or expend any public funds for or on behalf of any current or former indicted Victoria city officials unless approved by a vote of the people.

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