A Letter to the Houston City Council

In response to earlier posts on this subreddit I drafted a letter to my city Council members with my thoughts for the coming police union contract renewal and how I would like my councilors to shape any future agreements the city makes with the police union. I have copied the text below for public use. I know several people in the comments of the previous posts about policing in Houston were asking about a letter or some sort of action they could take to make their voices heard and thought I would make available my text to use. If it speaks to you go ahead and send it in to your councilors, the more people that do the more likely it is they have to give it a good read. If not well I still hope you have a good day and stay safe out there.

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Dear ,

As your constituent I am contacting you to express my concern at the upcoming renewal of the Meet and Confer agreement between the Houston Police Officers Union and the City of Houston.

The “more equal than others” nature of the contract is an unjust anachronism that should no longer be tolerated. The position of superiority such contracts afford police, compared to their fellow citizens, spits in the face of everything we are taught as Americans, and has no place in one of the leading cities of the United States.

The issues with the contract I found particularly egregious are listed below. This is not meant to imply that the enumerated issues are the only sections in need of review or removal, but rather that they are the most unjust, offensive, and inappropriate amongst the contract.

Article 26 grants a committee of officers the power to appoint twelve “independent hearing examiners” for determining officer discipline in cases of misconduct. However, half of the twelve examiners are appointed by the union, granting them the ability to deadlock any proceeding. The police union, a notably outspoken opponent of police reform, should never have been placed in such a position of authority in matters of officer discipline.

Article 29 states that all discussion and content of officer mediation shall be confidential. It further states that any communication disclosed during mediation shall be confidential and not become part of the officer’s personnel file. This practice is unacceptable as it can lead to a situation where an officer is allowed to remain on the force or even acquire a job with another police force when in any other circumstance they would be disciplined or lose their job. Any and all officer disciplinary appeals should become part of the officers personnel file and should include the resolution or actions taken.

Article 30 creates a 48 hour removal from consequence for officers. Unlike private citizens, the police are allowed a two day period in which they may review all the facts against them, with the consultation of a lawyer, prior to even being required to make a statement to their supervisor. This "48-hour rule" afforded to police serves no purpose other than to further protect and remove officers from the consequences of their unlawful actions. Civilians receive no such privilege, and it is my belief that the very people sworn to enforce the law should not be protected from it.

In addition to the issues above, the inability of Houston citizens to oversee lawless and corrupt officers needs correcting. The Houston Independent Police Oversight Board is a so-called “toothless watchdog” and among the weakest such boards in the nation. The Board has no authority to issue subpoenas nor any ability to directly censure or discipline officers. Without any actual power to enforce judgement and consequences, the only purpose an independent oversight board can serve is to provide a false sense of police accountability. This alone would be grounds for harsh reform. However in addition the Board may not accept complaints from civilians; rather, they must be received directly from HPD, the very organization the board exists to oversee. This arrangement is clearly corrupt, providing the appearance of oversight without actually enforcing police accountability.

In no other field or discipline would such corrupt structures be allowed to exist, and the fact that they do so for the very people charged to enforce law and order is a disturbing commentary on the state of law in our city. I urge you to do the right thing and reject any renewal of the Meet and Confer agreement that perpetuates such horrid injustice. I ask you to work to see that a new version of the meet and confer is brought forward that creates a truly empowered, independent review organization. It should be capable of receiving public input and investigating and removing criminal officers from their positions of authority. I additionally ask you to ensure any new version contains no language at all regarding the discipline of officers. Police should be held to the same standards and given the same treatment under the law as any other citizen. I have faith you will act as both your morals and your outraged constituents demand.

I am sure you are just as shocked and disgusted at police conduct both across the nation and here at home as many of your voters are, and I pray you will work to make both yourself and your voters safer in this time of national attention on police and police reform.

Sincerely,

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City Councilmember emails can be found here