Editors note: Conversation is essential, and having all sides of a situation is equally important. When we publish something an officer sends us, we hope it will open discourse and help provide other sides.

What follows is from someone who has contacted us in the past. They are an impeachable source that we look forward to hearing from. Why? Because this officer provides a counterbalance to what others have said. 

We thank you for pointing out and clearing the air over time. We agree about armchair quarterbacking. We also lament the selective transparency of the Chief’s office and the PIOs. 

There are a few things that I would like to address. I for one am for transparency, good or bad. This includes when people I might agree with are wrong on other matters. For those officers who say they are missing out on overtime, this is not true. Yes, they might be missing out on the TEXDOT assignments, but there is a lot of overtime out there. There are always parades that are announced, with the promise there will be a draft if it isn’t filled. This goes the same for the entertainment districts. The truth is, no one really wants to work those, but it is available. I agree that there are those who monopolize the more popular overtime assignments. That doesn’t mean that overtime assignments are not available.

Anyone can Monday morning quarterback the shooting at the car wash. At the end of the day, the guy said he had a gun. If he reached for an imaginary or real gun, it is hard for any of us to say what we would have done in that situation. Would someone else in that position have done something different, possibly, but the guy says on video that he has a gun and tells the sergeant if he wants to live to get back in his car. It sounds like a serious threat. I won’t say what I would have done in that situation, because I wasn’t there. It sucks for everyone involved and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. I agree there should be way more transparency.

I think that the Chief’s office has made their bed when it comes to brushing this or that underneath the rug. I think the reason why so many people reach out to the Jerusalem Press is because they are frustrated over the way certain incidents have been handled. I think by not having a zero tolerance on sexual harassment, the Department is setting itself up for a loss when the lawsuit plays out. The whole Lieutenant Surface incident happened after the lawsuit was announced. It seemed like they were going to do something about it when charges were filed. Now it appears as if it is being swept under the rug. There is a saying, “Perception is reality.” The perception is that there are some officers that have done things, sometimes criminal, sometimes administrative, that should have had serious consequences, but the appearance is that they got off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Truthfully, they may have been punished, but because of the lack of transparency, we don’t know.