Midland, TX
Midland, TX (Big 2 News) - According to city documents, two Midland police officers were in violation of the police department's general orders.
Violations include collecting panhandler's signs for what one officer says was a competition with the other officer.
"It's totally harmless to hang a sign and being independent. I don't think the cops should take their signs away or arrest them when there's murder out there that they ought to be arresting," said Nicky G., a panhandler.
Apparently, the officer confiscated panhandler signs and harassed panhandlers at Highway 191 and Loop 250 and Walmart.
In the documents, the is reason was due to motorists slowing down to read the signs.
"I don't wear a sign 'cause I show the cops I'm peaceable," said G.
G panhandles but tells me she has permission from the Walmart manager.
"Well, the rules are too strict here and it's really not a crime to panhandle because people have bad situations, what else are they gonna do but go on the street homeless?" said G.
According to city documents, the other officer says he saw no wrong doing in collecting panhandler signs and noted he's seen panhandler signs displayed at the police station.
But there's more, documents also show a marijuana pipe and brass knuckles were confiscated but an officer threw the pipe into the bush but kept the brass knuckles, stating it was not evidence.
The following statement is from Police Chief Price Robinson:
“The Midland Police Department does not condone this type of behavior. Public trust is of the utmost importance to us. Our personnel acted swiftly to report these isolated incidents, which I believe reflects the culture of accountability we have within the department. Our actions and relationships are guided by an internal sense of honesty and morality, and we are committed to respecting the individual rights and human dignity of all members of the community. All of our patrol officers were addressed by their supervisors after this incident to reiterate the importance of these core values, as well as proper protocol for property and evidence handling.”
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International Association for Property and Evidence
"Law Enforcement Serving the Needs of Law Enforcement"
www.IAPE.org