It used to be the abbreviation for Houston Power and Light.

Don...I don't bash all cops. By and large, the investigators and detectives here in town do a good job. The problem guys -- I've no experience with female cops in Victoria -- are the uniformed patrol officers who are the ones I refer to as revenooers; the ones who write tickets for minor infractions because they can. Notice that I've never accused anyone of issueing a ticket to someone who was totally innocent of the infraction charged; I have no direct knowlege that happens here in Victoria, although when it comes to court and a he said/he said situation developes, I don't believe a judge will ever believe the citizen over the cop.

I don't think there is much hope for citizens when the police decide to target an area for "zero tolerance" enforcement. There are simply too many laws and ordinances for a citizen to not inadvertantly run afoul of one/some. Ignorance of the law may not be a legal defense, but it is a fact. This is where revenue generation comes in. The cops seem to have never heard of a warning, telling citizens -- in reality, their employers -- that they are in violation of section xxx.xx and if they don't take corrective action, tickets will be forthcoming. No, we can't do that; we will issue tickets for everything we see. It would be interesting to know what the shift supervisors tell the officers going out on patrol.

I like living in Victoria. Since moving here from Houston, my wife and I have enjoyed life here rather than the pace in Houston. Because I like the city, I'd hate to see it get the reputation that other cities (strangely, all on Hwy 59) such as Kendelton, Patton Village and Splendora. Those towns all have police departments that have been notorious for being revenue agencies for the city.

Don,

I, myself have not had a problem with local LE departments.

For simply stating a obscure city ordinance and posting former positions held, and a snippet of a VA article, of the current Chief of Police s qualifications, you jump to the conclusion that I am a LE basher.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

As I suggested before, maybe your enthusiasm to discredit the DA is clouding your judgment just a bit.

Don,

I think it has been made very clear that folks that you named above do not have any comprehension of what policing is.

I am by no means saying that all cops are good. I have seen the bad, and it saddens me!

Exresident: If you read my example again, I did say that it was possible that the person was just someone out walking, enjoying the day. A good cop is alway suspicious!

DonMader,

I consider the source when I am called a cop hater by a constantly brown nosing apologist for all things police like yourself and others in here.

I think most people fear the cops, and when pulled over, they are scared, timid, submisive, and admit being in the wrong whether they were or not. With me, the officer sets the tone from the time he makes contact. Respect is a two way street, and respect is earned, not owed. I am respectful, but if a cop gets snarky with me, to use your words, I'm gonna be a smart-mouth jackass. I admit I have a sharp tongue, and a quick wit at times, and I don't cower just because someone has a gun and a badge. I think some cops call it contempt of cop. In law enforcement circles, a person standing up for his rights is often confused for being a trouble maker. Cops sometimes like to get in your face to take control and charge of the situation. If you aren't intimidated, they take it as a slap in their face. Don't tell me ther aren't some snarky cops, because I know there are.

Myself and others who post in here might be representative of far greater numbers than you care to acknowledge. If we are, don't you think it's healthy to get it out in the open rather than it be whispered all over town?

DonMader,

Hope you read the new letter today. My suspicions were realized when the person actually receiving the ticket stated in their letter:

Our complaint was merely our opinion. We feel that this so called "Zero Tolerance Policy" could have been implemented differently. The "Zero Tolerance Policy" is only in effect for the 3000-3200 block of Wildwood. This is where the 41 calls were generated. Everyone was wondering if we were involved in these calls, and the answer to that is "No."

I still wonder about the "policing" involved after 41 responses to the same block and the people actually receiving a ticket for a somewhat obscure violation had nothing to do with the actual problem.

How do you feel about this now?

MattOcker,

So if they were better educated, there would very few complaints?

1. Just for fun, why don't you stop over at Victoria College some time and ask to review the Police Academy Curriculum? You know, see just what they're taught, since many current VPD officers have gone through the local Academy.

You also might want to chat with the VPD training officer and ask him about the on-going training and education requirements that officers go through annually. I'll bet you a cup of coffee, he'd be willing to discuss it with you.

2. After all the education you feel they should have, how are you gonna keep some of them from abusing their authority anyway, as has been suggested is the case many times in this forum?
How are you gonna weed out cops with "snotty attitudes" and peoples perceptions that they are just way too suspicious of ordinary folks. Aren't there always going to be some abusers of the system?

Please don't suggest a Civilian Review Board - I lived in cities, large and small, where that was tried and inevitably it evolved into a debacle of racial bias claims, even when the police officers were of the same ethnic background as the "victims".

3. Finally how are you going to keep some cops from becoming cynical after dealing with honest-to-god scumbags over the years? Do you really think that won't have an negative effect on THEIR perceptions? Wouldn't it on yours if you were in their shoes?

ThirdPartyObserver, legion357, thewaywardwind, Zorro, Hicktoria, exresident, MattOcker, etc., etc.
I’ve got a several questions for you:

!. Can you suggest an alternative to a police department/Sheriff’s Office?

2. If not, can you suggest a way to recruit and/or train police officers to ALWAYS be easy-going, light-hearted, un-suspicious, never be tired near the end of a long shift, not cynical after several years of dealing with people who beat their spouses, abuse little children, mug old people for a few bucks or burglarize a home to support a drug habit, drive drunk and kill innocent people, all while maintaining a smile and seeing the humor of some smart-mouth jackass cursing at them because they’ve been pulled over for speeding?

3. How many of you REALLY believe you could do a better job after three or four years of dealing with the type of folks mentioned in item #2 while never knowing when you might suddenly confront a REAL cop-hater who’s armed and having a bad day?

I mean really.....please tell me about a realistic alternative or how you would find and train such paragons of virtue. If you can’t, then it’s obvious to me (to borrow an O’Reilly favorite) that you’re all likely a bunch of lip-flapping bloviaters and you’re REEAAALLLY boring with your little horror stories of the abuse that may have been inflicted upon you ( please don’t bother to share them with me, just call the ACLU, okay?)

Ahhhh Zorro! There are two sides to every story. I am not insinuating that your story is not true, but that is your account of what happened. The officer may have a totally different account of that day and his own reasons for doing what he did. Is it possible that he went a bit overboard? Sure, according to your account.

Police see things in an entirely different light than the average citizen.

Example: Mid afternoon and you are on your way home for lunch. You see a young man walking in the neighborhood and think to yourself...wow, I wish I could take a walk on such a nice day.

A police officer may see something different. Is it a juvenile skipping school? Perhaps someone scanning the neighborhood for an easy target to burglarize?

Now, it is possible that is really is just a young adult out for an afternoon stroll on a nice day, but once again, cops things slightly different.

I know I am not going to change your cop hating attitude. I really dont know why I have spent my time trying to argue the fact. But I will say this. There are good ones out there.

Willie,

I have many stories I can tell about my encounters with law enforcement. As one example, I will use my brush with a very young I.N.S officer in deep South Texas who was driving the fence looking for human tracks. I was late getting to Hebronville and blew past him doing about 80 mph. The I.N.S. officer pursued me with his emergency lights on and pulled me over. He walked to my car and told me he had pulled me over because I was speeding and seemed to be in a really big hurry about getting somewhere. I kid you not! I ask him what business my speeding was to him and if he was writing tickets for the Sheriff's Department? Angrily, he says to me to get out of the G.D. car, and I say something ugly back to him, then he claims I assaulted a federal officer and he calls pretty much the entire Jim Hogg Sheriff's Dept. to the scene, 5 units in total, one with a drug dog. I'm required to face away from my car while they pretty much do as they please without my consent. In the end, I'm told by the deputy who had taken over from the I.N.S. agent I was free to go, but no apologies. This is one of many stories I could tell you.

You write "I have yet to see you write a single comment on the Victoria Advocate that has anything decent to say about police." I'm a critic, I am not the public relations face for law enforcement, or as they say, I just report the news, I don't make the news. If people don't report things that happen, how will there ever be change?

Zorro, I could not agree with you more. I applaud that the United Airline crew did the right thing in your example.

I dont know where you get your distrust for police, nor do I expect you to tell us, but dont assume that all cops are bad. There are plenty of cops that choose to do the right thing, even when it may cause them to be an outcast.

I have yet to see you write a single comment on the Victoria Advocate that has anything decent to say about police. It just gets old...thats all. It really makes me wonder what your angle is or why you insist on bad mouthing police.

Willie,

Okay, I'll give it a rest and use a euphemism instead. All Muslims are not terrorists, but pretty much all terrorists are Muslims. You don't hear Muslim clerics condemn their own brother Muslim terrorists for fear of being seen as not pure Muslim. That in turn breeds cynicism from the public. There are many other examples where people don't rat out their brothers, so it was refreshing that the United Airlines crew ratted out that drunk pilot. Let it be a beacon for doing the right thing.

I hope everyone is paying attention......this will shock my critics. Bruce Ure is the Chief of the Victoria Police Department. Until such time, if any time, that he is removed he IS the chief. Instead of tearing down the department that is charged with protecting us we should support them. CITY COUNCIL is where people should take their complaints, if any (again), of Ure's performance. Let the man do the job he is charged with.
I believe this is the path that should vbe taken.

Zorro, would you please give it a rest already? Your cop bashing is getting old! We get it...you have a complete distrust for cops.

Hermandad de Pistoleros Latinos

http://davadnai.users.omniglobal.net/...

Matt,

Lighten up a bit. No need to take a simple comment that I made and turn it into more than what it really is. What I meant by the comment is that there are a select few on here that are set in their ways...No point in arguing and trying to prove a point.

The Blue Code of Silence (or Blue Wall of Silence) is an unwritten rule among many police officers in the United States not to report on another colleague's errors, misconducts or crimes.

Ironically, it is similar to the code of silence in organized crime, like the Omertà.

Yesterday, a drunk United Airlines pilot was arrested at Heathrow airport just prior taking off on a trans-Atlantic flight. The drunk pilot was reported by other members of the crew. You think a cop would report a fellow cop for something like that?

John...:Three HPL members were just given life sentences moments ago. Are we going to hear about that?"

Forgive my ignorance, please. HPL members???? Uhhh, who/what is HPL and for what did three members get life sentences?

Bubblehead,

I wouldn't waste my time.

Advocate,

Three HPL members were just given life sentences moments ago. Are we going to hear about that? Doubt it.

Matt...I've done my ride alongs, thank you with VPD and EMS back when I worked for the PD as a 911 dispatcher. I've seen first hand just how charlie sierra a cop can get when he's in a "mood." Then about four years ago, I met the charlie sierra first hand and that cemented my attitude. As I have stated, I don't have a problem with them coming down like a ton of bricks on real bad guys, but some -- especially uniformed patrol officers, perhaps because those are the ones most citizens come in contact with -- can be real p****s for no reason other than because they can.

Hicktoria, waywardwind, et al,

Based on your obvious expertise, you all have your opinions on how the VPD should be run. But let me share an idea with you: The VPD puts on a course for interested folks called the Civilian Police Academy. The course is 10 weeks long (6pm to 9pm on Tuesday plus two Saturdays. The classes cover all aspects of local police work from traffic control to drug stings to detective work to dealing with gangs. There's lots of hand-on training, including how to safely make a traffic stop, to doing a building search in the dark with a flash light. On one of the Saturdays, students go out to the police firing range and use PD service pistols. Students also get to do ride alongs (day or night)on regular patrol duty.

When it's all done, I guarantee you'll have a lot more insight into how things actually work. You may still have some legitimate concerns about how and why the VPD operates, but you'll be able to speak from a basis of real knowledge and facts, and not from some half-baked rumors, half truths and uneducated biases. The next class begins in mid January.

Or, on the other hand, you can continue to sit around and and make holier than thou pronouncements about how YOU think the department should be run and/or take more cheap shots at the Chief.

Of course taking the class would mean putting your money (time, actually) where your mouth is.

DonMader,

The recent police chase and subsequent remarks by the sheriff about his cars catching a BMW got the crowd on a BMW forum cracking wise. There was some pretty funny posts and it's not just your VPD sacred cow that people make cracks about. Check that BMW forum out about the chase and the Sheriff's remarks:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthr...

Mader - I do not "hate" the VPD. I think they lead from example (insert Ure). It is not a cheap shot. It is obvious (IMO) that the VPD has far too much time on their hands worrying about minute things rather than real crimes. I know you know all of the examples that could be posted, so I will not bother with that...

Don..."He stated that the PD was trying to deal with a complicated situation in the neighborhood (read five families who enjoy making life miserable for their neighbors that probably fear retaliation). It's difficult to catch on-going, petty vandalism in the act before it escalates into something really unhappy, including serious and/or deadly physical violence."

Perhaps I missed it, but did the infamous ticket go to one of the five families that seem to be causing so much trouble? If so, do you really think that thugs and criminal wannabes will take note of a PARKING TICKET? If this is really all the police department can offer, then my suggestion to the people on the receiving end of the vandalism and whatever else the cops have been called out for is to sit up at night, outside with a shotgun waiting for a chance to catch the thugs doing that which the police seem powerless to stop.

I don't have a problem with the police coming down on thugs like a falling wall. I have a problem with the police targeting harmless infractions that cost innocent people a lot of money and cliam that they're doing it in the name of community policing, sort of "showing the flag" to make the community safer. That's a crock of what Farmer Brown spreads on his garden.

Hicktoria,

Nice (but typical), cheap shot from another nether region while hiding behind a phony name and a cutesy avatar (see previous posts).

Yawn...HoHum.....ZZzzzzzzz

Applause for VPD! I wonder why this did not make national news? I am so upset that the nation did not take notice on this awesome well staked out parking violation! What a tragedy that could of happened... if a child walked around this obstruction and interrupted the other kids playing football in the street while dodging cars...

Zorro,

I was talking about people who are deliberately ignorant - i.e., those who choose to accept and then repeat ANY blather that agrees with their own particular biases without bothering to check the facts.

As for painting a target on one's back, do you not think that the good DA would find some way to take a shot (figuratively speaking of course) at me? I'd guess he may have friends on the DPS who might be watching for my license plate number in order to find numerous vehicular violations but I seriously doubt it.

If you think that I would get a free ride from a VPD officer because I've stuck up for the Chief, and that you would be unfairly jammed because you're a critic of the VPD, well, I believe you're wrong about that (and I know for a fact that I haven't gotten a free ride - it was my poor choice to be in the wrong, and I knew it and I paid the penalty for it.)

But it's ok for you since I think you sincerely (if incorrectly) believe that VPD will be waiting for you if they knew who you were. On the other hand, I don't think the rest of the aforementioned cop dislikers are paranoid, they just prefer to take anonymous cheap shots.

DonMader,

Thanks for saying the delete button needs a rest. It is my understanding that 12 step programs exist for virtually everything under the sun and the term has entered the lexicon of common usage.

To whom it may concern that's doing the censoring today. It doesn't bother me that Zorro suggested I'm in a 12 step program and I don't know why his remark was deleted - so lighten up a little bit. I'm not in any formal 12 step program, only the self-imposed one that I mentioned in my last post.

Bubbles,

You apparently think "whining to the paper" is wrong, and all criticism of police should go through official police channels. Seems as though the chief is pretty much on the record as saying if citizen's don't like it, lump it, and take it to court, Municipal Court no less. That attitude belies your friendly complaint center down at the cop shop.

Mader,

Am I ignorant because I don't agree with you, and because I hold different opinions? How do you define ignorance in here? You accuse us of being "cowardly bullies that snipe from behind cover." So you suggest we paint a target on our back so that some obscure law might be applied to us lawbreakers, thanks, but no thanks. Get a common sense clue from Thomas Paine!

Zorro,

Yes I am in fact - my remedial twelve step program is about learning to accept the fact that in one way or another, I'll always be dealing with people who either deliberately choose to remain ignorant, or are unabashedly pompous and arrogant, or who sadistically misuse power, or who are cowardly bullies that snipe from behind cover or are all of the above. I'm not having much luck with the program as I still allow people like that to irritate me from time to time.

The upside is, that there are a lot more good folks around then those listed above. I include people that I may strongly disagree with about some things, because I believe that they are, at least, good-hearted and sincere, however misguided I might feel they may be.

Waywardwind,

It may help to reread the Chief's article to see why I think spitting anywhere has nothing to do with the reaction Ure's letter and what he's trying to accomplish, therefore to me, a discussion about spitting, whether illegal or just plain rude, was gratuitous/irrelevant - he was not out to enforce obscure laws.

He stated that the PD was trying to deal with a complicated situation in the neighborhood (read five families who enjoy making life miserable for their neighbors that probably fear retaliation). It's difficult to catch on-going, petty vandalism in the act before it escalates into something really unhappy, including serious and/or deadly physical violence. If the police are making their presence known with a zero tolerance approach, it would appear to me that they want to send a message to some miscreants that the pressure is going to be on, some special attention will be paid - it may be "just" a parking ticket so far, but at least an attempt is being made to resolve a miserable situation.

DonMader...I'm glad you were able to laugh. I always like to make someone smile. Evidently, you were too busy laughing to realize that my question about spitting on the sidewald was really serious. If the cops are gonna write tickets for people breaking one obscure law, I'm confident they will write tickets for breaking other obscure laws and I was wondering if spitting on the sidewalk was a legal offense or simply rude.

Legion357, I wasn’t laughing at your “humorous” rendition of the obscure ordinances, I was laughing AT you and waywardwind. As to why I support Chief Ure, I know him, I like him and he’s never given me reason to distrust him (the DA, however has given many people plenty of reasons to distrust him, but I digress). I defend the Chief when folks on this forum take cheap shots at him while hiding behind phony names and cutesy avatars. It’s really easy for you, waywardwind, and 3po to spout self-righteous and indignant remarks all while maintaining, like 3po, that he has “the greatest respect and admiration for ALL (?) of the officers on the police force, sheriff's department....”

I guess he doesn’t consider the Chief to be an officer. I’m still wondering how 3po correlates the chief’s editorial as being too political since he isn’t running for office. M…a…y…b…e….. . I ..‘…m….. j…u…s…t….. t…o…o…o…… s…l…o…w..... t…o…..c…a…t…c…h….. o…n…! Or maybe he’s speaking from the nether region as usual. I’m glad I’m not the only one who got Doug C’s name wrong - I really should have known better since I used to work for the City - my bad.

Now Zorro is a different case altogether – he really believes that some people are out to get him or at least would be if they knew who he is based on his remarks here on the forum (or so he has stated in the past). Perhaps so, they say “even paranoids have enemies.” Note to Zorro, et al – I can take the heat altho’ you can’t seem to - come out from behind the mask and cape – it feels really good to be confident enough to identify yourself when you speak your piece. Perhaps you all should stay out of the kitchen.

Ah well....they also say that it's easy to talk the talk but much harder to walk the walk.

President Harry S. Truman famously said "if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen!"

Memo to Chief Ure and Don Mader: STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN!

Hit the "post comment" before I re-read my typing. I intended to type Doug Cochran not Dale Cochran.

DonMader,

I am not a [cop "disliker”] as you referred to in your post which again ignores the facts, your normal mode of operation.

My point is (I will type slow so you can understand) 41 calls to the same 5 houses should produce something more then a parking ticket. If there is that much activity taking place and officers are there that many times the laws of probability would dictate illegal activity much greater then a parking violation would be identified.

A 5% INCREASE in Class I crimes (major crimes against people and property) accompanied by a 6% DECREASE in arrests has merit and is the core of my questions. Every department in the city must prioritize their resources and I don't consider the chief "addressing the public" in an editorial as a good use of time. I don't know who Glen Cochran is, again accurate facts don't seem to matter to you, but this is totally different then if Mr. James or Dale Cochran are interviewed for a news article. I see the chief on the televised news and in the newspaper at a rate much higher then any previous chief, the sheriff, the fire chief or any other city department head and this exposure is not having any impact on major crimes. My opinion is these "appearences" are political in nature, not functional. Crime fighting against major crimes must take precedent over parking violations and alledged gambling activities.

I have the greatest respect and admiration for all of the officers on the police force, sheriff's department and firefighters as they are charged with doing a difficult job with limited resources. My concerns are there are politics involved in the chief being such a public figure and those politics are not in the best interest of the citizens and taxpayers of Victoria.

Well Don, since you where all-a-twitter with glee over obscure city ordinances... I guess my point was successful.

Your opinion of the local DA is well known and obvious. Talk about beating a dead horse.

Can I ask you a question?

Just because you have a obvious dislike of the local DA, why do you jump to the defense of the local Chief of Police at every opportunity?

After all the most important position that the local Chief of Police attained before being hired by the City of Victoria, was as a Fire Chief in Webster and later the top cop in Watauga. Where by the way he left City Manager of Watauga Kerry Lacy wondering what was exactly happening...

Apr. 27--Watauga City Manager Kerry Lacy has heard the news that his city's top law enforcement officer is leaving. He just hasn't heard it from the chief.

It's interesting that sword waving Zorro and the rest of the D.A. apologists are upset that the Police chief is trying to set the record straight after the typical "professional" job of reporting by Advocate staff. I suspect that Ure was also trying to head off the usual cries of discrimination and/or profiling by putting the facts in front of the public. The Advocate reporter seemed to have had difficulty doing basic research. For instance, the extent the PD went to, in trying to resolve some neighborhood problems and keep things from getting out of hand by holding a neighborhood meeting, going door-to-door to talk to area residents, etc. – in other words, taking a positive approach to the problem.

In the eyes of the our regular cop "dislikers”, nothing the PD does is ever worthwhile. Instead, 3PO apparently believes that only the PIO can speak for City dept. heads (Guess Jerry James, Glen Cochran, etc. need to shut up). 3PO then natters on about the 41 complaint calls and just one citation – apparently he has difficulty comprehending that it’s difficult to catch someone in the act at complaint calls – but that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a valid reason for the complaint call in the first place. Should the police have stopped responding after the third or twelfth or twenty-fifth call?

By the way, I’m not sure how 3PO’s weird insinuation that “chief's position has become way more political then it should“ has anything to do with the situation other than just another chance to take a cheap shot.

Then of course, waywardwind jumps in with a wildly clever discourse on spitting, aided and abetted by legion 357’s witty repartee on obscure Charter references. Land sakes alive, I just giggled and tee-heed for hours - those guys are sooooo funny!

Perhaps if "Wildwood-gate" can somehow be tied into the "Fatal Funnel series" we'll hear ALL the facts ad nauseum.

Icantcook..."wayward wind, no Im not a lawbreaker. And since my sister is an attorney, im pretty well read in daily law. Im involved with the city and county so I know those as well."

Are you positive you're not a lawbreaker? There is no telling how many obscure laws out there of which even YOU might not be aware. Even lawyers need to read up on specifics -- thus the libraries filled with law books so the lawyers can be accurate. A street cop has been educated in law enforcement, but even he/she can't know them all.

If the police and DA won't help you with your vandalism problem, perhaps you need to sit up at night with a shotgun to solve your own problem. A jury won't convict you even if the DA tries to prosecute a citizen who protected his property from criminals. You probably won't be out any more for legal fees than you are for repairs to your property and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that the (probably) gang thugs who vandalized your property have been taken care of.

On a personal level, I'd be outraged that the cops won't do anything, saying that the DA won't take the case. I'd go to the DA to make sure. Then, if he won't take the case, to the newspaper and television news with details. Perhaps enough publicity will get the authorities off their duffs. I understand full well that it takes more effort to investigate crimes against citizens than to write parking tickets, but Ure and his merry men and women need to remember for whom they work -- the taxpaying citizens of Victoria. If thugs are damaging/destroying private property and the police won't do anything about it, there are bigger problems in Victoria than vandals.

It's public relations spin when the chief goes on tv to explain a crime scene, or writes an op-ed piece in the newspaper like this. The Chief says "The Wildwood Strategy is a first-rate example of community policing." That statement seems at odds to anecdotal evidence from the community. No doubt it was well intentioned but it seems to have missed the mark by not only agitating the Wildwood residents but people from neighborhoods all across the city. The ticket and fine for an obscure law hit a raw nerve a lot of us feel, that we can be, and are ticketed and fined for ridiculous things at times.

Several years ago cities began an aggressive campaign to use the police to generate revenue through vigorous enforcement of traffic laws. This has been going on all accross Texas and perhaps the nation at a large. It is perceived by the public as punitive and unfair. The Wildwood case was the spark that ignited some public outrage at this policy.

Policing, no doubt is complicated business and why we hire professionals to do the job. I submit that problems are exacerbated when the public feels that police single out or otherwise meet out punishment on an arbitrary basis.

As to the suggestion that remedy can be found in the courts. Everyone pretty much knows that Municipal Court is a lackey for the city and the suggestion that justice is dispensed there is laughable.

I lived on Wildwood several decades ago & it wasn't the best street back then, but I hardly recognized it when I ventured down it last month. It was scary during the day!

Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, it's hard to get it back in!

wayward wind, no Im not a lawbreaker. And since my sister is an attorney, im pretty well read in daily law. Im involved with the city and county so I know those as well. I have been, however, a victim of violence and lawbreakers. It isnt pleasant and it is costly. This year alone Ive shelled out over $5000 in valdalism repairs and Im sure I will never recover a penny. the young adults who did this are walking and running the streets of Victoria terrorizing others because a dectective said that they were instructed not to send my case to the DA, HE might not take it. Im my opnion, an innocent citizen was slighted because of the fuss between the two agencies. That has nothing to do with the patrol officers and their performance.

the other thing is that if you really want to know what happened on wildwood st. I suggest that you go to the pd, ask for copies of all the calls since Jan 1 2009 on Wildwood street. Usually the names are removed from the copies but the addresses and complaints are plain as day. Its public record if there was an arrest or not, How the hell do you think the Advocate and other news media gets info?

good questions third party

Legion..."So spitting on the sidewalk is illegal according to the Victoria city charter.... "

Thank you for posting that. It takes a load off my mind. I'll be real careful where I spit from now on.

The next enforcement item: Sec. 4-33. Sale of dyed fowl. No person shall dye or color any chicken or duckling less than eight (8) weeks of age, nor sell or offer for sale any such dyed or colored chickens or ducklings.
(Ord. No. 92-12, § 1, 4-21-92)
I wish I knew the story behind that one!

Even more ridiculous...

; prohibition of allowing water to accumulate on the streets, § 13-53; driving in ditches, § 22-17

They had to actually pass a ordinance to prohibit driving in ditches????

Geezzzz

Actually ..

*Charter references: Authority, Art. IX, § 1 et seq., Art. X, § 1 et seq.
Cross references: Planning commission, 2-120 et seq.; herding animals through streets, § 4-42; animals at large in the streets, § 4-41; auctioning of animals on the streets, § 4-43; unlawful accumulations of garbage and trash on the streets, §§ 10-20, 10-41; offense of obstructing thoroughfares by congregating thereon, § 15-8; peddlers selling merchandise on the streets, § 14-64; offense of spitting on the sidewalks,

So spitting on the sidewalk is illegal according to the Victoria city charter.... along with herding animals.

http://library7.municode.com/default-...

Yes it did.

Icantcook..."If you do the crime you should do the time and fine."
"I am for more than a slap on the hands to any offenders of any law."

Wow! Zero tolerance, huh? You sound like one of those "ignorance of the law is no excuse" zealots. I can but wonder how many laws you break on a daily basis. When you count all the federal and state laws and city ordinances, you must easily get a figure well into hundreds of thousands. NO ONE can know them all. Many are arcane or outdated or insignificant. Many are there seemingly to simply give the police an excuse to stop someone or to issue a ticket. For example, I never knew until this brouhaha started that parking with part of a vehicle over the sidewalk was against a state law and the cost of the ticket could be well in excess of a hundred bucks. Seems like an expensive lesson. I now wonder about spitting on the sidewalk. Is that illegal or simply rude? If illegal, how big is the fine for that? Is there a difference between spitting on the sidewalk and spitting into the grass bordering the sidewalk? Is all public spitting illegal or only that spittle that ends up on the sidewalk? How about the street? Is spitting on the street legal? So many laws and so many questions about laws. But when the city decides to collect money from its citizens, it certainly has a goodly number of obscure laws it can use as weapons.

I also wonder about the question the thirdpartyobserver asked. Did this saturation police effort result in anything more substantive than a single parking ticket?

BubbleHeadJones,

Maybe you should pull your bubblehead out of the "but" as your English lesson and PIO comments are WRONG.

"But" has at least 9 different uses in the English language (freedictionary.com) and your idea that the use of it negates everyting before it is wrong . Use your imagination.

As to your comments "since I have not ever seen a PIO speak on behalf of the police or the City I am assuming the plan was scrapped", this is also wrong. Just because YOU haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. The office has existed for at least the last 14 months and was funded to the level of $235,160 for the current year that began Oct. 1st.

My point is if there was as much effort to deal with crime as there is to have the chief of police on the news or writing editorials some positive steps would be made. According to the crime report issued by the Victoria Police Department (http://www.victoriatx.org/police/pdfs...), class I crimes "Class I crimes reported by the Victoria Police Department are murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft" are up over 5% in 2007 and another 5% in 2008 and at the same time adult arrests (not prosecutions) for 2008 were 6% less then 2007. Crimes going up arrests going down. This does paint a positive picture.

We see headlines of year long "sting operations" to combat alledged gambling (not a class I crime) and then no convictions. Now major news coverage of writing a ticket for a parking violation (again not a class I crime) but nothing mentioned about how many arrests related to 41 calls to the same neighborhood.

It appears to me the chief's position has become way more political then it should. Again, I am not bashing any work of any officer of the VPD, VSO or any other enforcement group. They all, for the most part, do a great job. I am just questioning why the chief has been appointed to be the official spokesman when the city is paying a huge sum of money to have a PIO? I am also questioning why major (class I) crimes are on the increase but the focus of policing seems to be on minor issues like parking tickets and sting operations that make headlines. We don't need headline crimefighting or explanation editorials we need the class I crimes to decline.

Good job VPD. As a citizen of Victoria I applaud the hard work and effort you put in to help restore this city. As for the POI comment, seeing as I read and watched the unfloding of the responses on the other story, I think he was in the right to address it. Shows he is willing to be a part of the community, not just a figure behind the desk.

Several questions, not bashing the VPD but just trying to understand the issues.

First, the city approved a rather large budget for a "Public Information Officer" for the city. If this PIO office is supposed to be the central source of communication for the city, why is the police chief not going through the channels to respond to the issues? Why does he feel the need to respond directly in an "non official" forum such as newspaper editorials?

Second, I have read the editorial twice and maybe I missed it twice but was the owner of the vehicle cited associated with houses that were responsible for "41 calls (disturbances, nuisances, criminal mischief, etc.)to five houses on Wildwood Street"?

Did any of the 41 calls generate an arrest or a citation being issued or is this parking violation the only actual results?

Is the fee too steep, and should the officer have considered this before he cited the person?

I dont think so!!! If you do the crime you should do the time and fine. Our society has gone lax and nutz with anger and people who thing they are above the law. Our average citizens do it, our children do it, and I know of one teacher who does it, what an example to her students!!! I am for more than a slap on the hands to any offenders of any law. Evidently probation isnt working above the county collecting fees. See a probationer out doing something that breaks probation and see how fast they get just another slap. I think VPD, SO, Municipal Court and District Court needs to get tuff on these people and a percentage will straigten up. some are incouragable at best but most will. Thank you cheif URE for excellent explanition. Now check out the pot parties on rio grande street.

Thank you, Chief Ure, for a superb response. The "broken window" theory of urban decay is both real and valid. Your approach to addressing this problem is most welcome. Keep up the good work.