Post by WaTcHeR on Sept 28, 2006 13:45:35 GMT -5
09.28.2006 - TEXARKANA, TX - Some Bowie County residents are showing support for nine Texas Department of Public Safety troopers who were suspended or fired after a department investigation.
About 20 people protested outside Texarkana's DPS office on Wednesday. They joined a chorus of area government officials calling for fair treatment for the troopers.
The troopers, who worked in the department's highway patrol division for Bowie County, were suspended earlier this month as part of an administrative investigation.
Kyle Davis, a lawyer for one of the suspended troopers, has said the troopers received suspension letters and several have since been fired.
The troopers were accused of changing the dates on traffic stop warnings to meet the department's unwritten quotas, Davis said.
"Everybody's stance is this: We don't agree with what these troopers did, but the punishment is harsh and unjust. We feel it is very unfair," former Texarkana police officer Jimmy Green said in Thursday editions of the Texarkana Gazette.
DPS spokesman Tom Vinger declined to comment on the protest because of the ongoing investigation. He said the department does not have a quota system.
"We don't have any quotas at DPS. However, management expects troopers to show evidence they have engaged in traffic enforcement, which includes writing citations," Vinger said.
The department has declined to release the reason for the investigation but said it stemmed from an administrative complaint. Supporters of the suspended troopers say the troopers are being punished too harshly for something they were pressured to do.
Bowie County commissioners wrote a letter to DPS Director Thomas Davis Jr. praising the troopers' work.
"We feel that reprimanding those involved is needed and proper, however these officers have always responded to our needs immediately when they arise whether it is a large wreck or natural disaster," the letter said.
A letter signed by six Bowie County mayors alleged the troopers "were under undue stress to bring their number up."
"The problem may be further up the food chain and not a situation confined to Bowie County," the letter said.
The letter was endorsed by the mayors of Texarkana, New Boston, DeKalb, Hooks, Wake Village and Nash.
abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=state&id=4606921
About 20 people protested outside Texarkana's DPS office on Wednesday. They joined a chorus of area government officials calling for fair treatment for the troopers.
The troopers, who worked in the department's highway patrol division for Bowie County, were suspended earlier this month as part of an administrative investigation.
Kyle Davis, a lawyer for one of the suspended troopers, has said the troopers received suspension letters and several have since been fired.
The troopers were accused of changing the dates on traffic stop warnings to meet the department's unwritten quotas, Davis said.
"Everybody's stance is this: We don't agree with what these troopers did, but the punishment is harsh and unjust. We feel it is very unfair," former Texarkana police officer Jimmy Green said in Thursday editions of the Texarkana Gazette.
DPS spokesman Tom Vinger declined to comment on the protest because of the ongoing investigation. He said the department does not have a quota system.
"We don't have any quotas at DPS. However, management expects troopers to show evidence they have engaged in traffic enforcement, which includes writing citations," Vinger said.
The department has declined to release the reason for the investigation but said it stemmed from an administrative complaint. Supporters of the suspended troopers say the troopers are being punished too harshly for something they were pressured to do.
Bowie County commissioners wrote a letter to DPS Director Thomas Davis Jr. praising the troopers' work.
"We feel that reprimanding those involved is needed and proper, however these officers have always responded to our needs immediately when they arise whether it is a large wreck or natural disaster," the letter said.
A letter signed by six Bowie County mayors alleged the troopers "were under undue stress to bring their number up."
"The problem may be further up the food chain and not a situation confined to Bowie County," the letter said.
The letter was endorsed by the mayors of Texarkana, New Boston, DeKalb, Hooks, Wake Village and Nash.
abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=state&id=4606921