Waller County Sheriff's Department Jerks

[Reefmonkey]

I drove up to a wedding in Magnolia this weekend. At the intersection of 1488 and 1774, two police officers that I assumed were Magnolia policemen (turned out to be Waller Co SD - see rest of thread) were directing traffic when I came upon the intersection at about 3:15 Saturday afternoon. As I waited for my turn, I watched the two cops make obnoxious and/or vaguely menacing gestures at several motorists who were doing their best to follow the cops' vague hand directions. As I waited, my wife reread our directions and said we should be turning left instead of right. There was no one behind me, so I moved over into the left turn lane. We waited a couple more minutes for our turn to go, and when the cop turned and directed to me it was my turn, he shouted "try find the right side of the road!"

Police officers have a difficult job - they have to keep their cool and avoid the temptation to use excessive force when subduing criminals who are screaming and cursing at them, and trying to hurt or kill them. If a cop can't be courteous to law-abiding citizens who are doing their best to follow his directions, if he can't hold his tongue and refrain from making obnoxious gestures and comments at them, I doubt he is going to control his attitude with people in emotionaly charged or more dangerous situations.

Jerk cops like this aren't just making things tougher for the people they are supposed to server - they are also reinforcing the stereotype many people have about cops as heavy-handed thugs. With the lower-income racial minorities who feel often unfairly targeted and profiled by cops, jerk cops like these reinforce the stereotype of cops as not to be trusted, not to be cooperated with, and even make people feel more justified in returning violence to cops who may be pursuing them. Basically, cops like these are contributing to getting other cops killed.

[TJones]

.....and have you filed a report to the Magnolia Police Dept. head ?

[Reefmonkey]

.....and have you filed a report to the Magnolia Police Dept. head ?

I sent emails to the chief of police, Paul Michna, and the city administrator, Ryan Kelly, and cc'd the mayor and city council. I doubt much will come of it. I don't think their behavior rises to the level of misconduct that warrants filing an official report, so I din't demand to file one, but if Michna says that is required before he will pursue the matter, I will do so.

[Reefmonkey]

I received a reply from the Chief of Police. It appears these were not Magnolia PD officers, but Waller County Sheriff. Chief Michna forwarded my complaint to that department. Well handled by Michna.

Mr. *****,

It distressed me to receive your missive about the incident this past Saturday. I

[editor]

I'll change the thread title.

Are you going to follow up with Waller?

[Mark F. Barnes]

I know Paul personally and he is a very professional and dedicated public servant. I see him several times a week regularly. I also know many Magnolia PD Officers and All of the Montgomery PD Officers, since they interface often. Where I live could be considered either place. I live right on the line. The ones I know are very cautious. Those Waller rent-a-cops are contract reserve officers. No telling what you get with them. Several rural counties operate like that. If you ever have an issue in Magnolia, you can contact Paul and get it addressed post haste, same thing with Montgomery you can contact Kenneth Hudgens, and it will be taken care of. They have a zero tolerance on misconduct. We like living in a town where everybody knows everybody and we can talk to each other and wave when we drive by. It just makes life so much easier IMHO.

[TexasVines]

the good thing about the sheriffs office is "the sheriff" has to run for office every few years so public opinion matters to him

where I live further west of here in the sticks the sheriffs and deputies don't even have radar guns because if they did they might give tickets to too many locals.....and end up out of a job....so they leave that for the DPS

[Reefmonkey]

I'll change the thread title.

Are you going to follow up with Waller?

Thanks for the title change.

As Chief Michna said, he forwarded my email to Lt. White with Waller Co. SD, so at least Lt. White is aware of the situation, and unless he contacts me, I'll trust that he's going to handle it. Only so much energy I'm willing to spend on something like this.

[Reefmonkey]

UPDATE:

Other than thanking Chief Michna for his initial reponse, I had taken no further action on this issue. Today I received this email:

Mr. ****,

I have forwarded your complaint to Lt. White who advised he would identify the two officers and speak with them about their conduct and behavior. He has responded to other complaints and I believe he will address yours as well. Please, don

[editor]

It's a good sign. Let us know if you get any more updates.

[fitzy24]

There are aholes in every profession. Good for you for notifying the authorities (although nothing may come of it).

[ddavenport]

Every profession has its a-holes after all...