Articles about Police
Could Yesterday’s DART Arapaho Center Station Shooting Have Been Prevented by More Cops?
News reports, like the one from WFAA above, say that the Transportation Security Administration and Dallas Police are offering to help DART Police secure their stations, following yesterday’s shooting, the latest in what seems like a string of violent public transit incidents. This would involve having more officers posted on DART trains and at DART stations.
Would that have made a difference for Eric Johnson, who lost his life when a DART police officer exchanged gunfire with a man who’d been turned away from riding a bus for trying to board with an expired pass?
When we’re faced with tragedies like this, it’s natural that we want to do something to prevent such a senseless act from occurring again. But isn’t the plain fact that we live in a big city, with a lot of other people, some of whom are prone from time to time to commit awful acts?
Things like this are going to happen. After all, there was already an officer on the scene.
And, as WFAA reports, one of yesterday’s victims claims he was struck by a bullet fired by the officer, not the suspect.
Leading Off (1/30/11)
DISD Teacher Calls for “Sick Out” Last week the Dallas ISD school board voted to close 11 campuses and extend teachers’ work day by 45 minutes without additional compensation. Now an anonymous teacher is trying to organize a “sick out” protest for February 29.
Mom Will Give Son Kidney: When Jace Glenn was four weeks old, he had both his kidneys removed. He has been on dialysis ever since, awaiting an age when he would be old enough to undergo a kidney transplant operation. Now three, all he needs is a donor. He found one in his mom.
Police Officer Saves Women From Car Sinking In Lake: Saturday night, Ngac Do and Nhi Tran took a wrong turn on Dalrock Rd. off I-30 and drove their Honda Civic into Lake Ray Hubbard. A police dash cam caught the rescue.
Leading Off (1/23/11)
Why Did Police Officer Not Turn on Lights When Speeding? The police officer who struck and killed Beverly Kirk early Sunday morning was speeding, but the cruiser’s lights or sirens were not on. They should have been, because when another officer killed a 10-year-old boy in 2008 under similar circumstances, then-Chief David Kunkle made it policy that officers must turn on their lights and sirens when they are breaking traffic laws.
Dallas Economy Underperforms State Average: This story about the Dallas Fed’s report on the Texas economy is behind the paywall, but this scribd.com link should get you to the meat. The takeaway, Houston boasts the state’s strongest economy, thanks to a healthy energy market, while DFW (Dallas/ Fort Worth-Arlington) has underperformed the state average over the past five years.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Second Best: That’s right, according to some guy at CNBC, the Super Bowl-bound Patriots have better cheerleaders than the team that introduced the sideline gimmick. What’s wrong with our ladies? Well, not allowing the cheerleaders to have their own social media accounts doesn’t help.
Saddest Headline of the Day
NBC Channel 5 brings us this headline: “3 Miniature Horses Fatally Stabbed in Dallas.” It’s the saddest, most disturbing headline of the day, possibly the week, maybe even the year (but we’re just 12 days into the new year, so it’s probably too early to call that). Anyway, the poor things were found in their owners’ yard. The family only had the horses for a couple of months. And that story makes me sad.
Leading Off (11/14/11)
Trinity River Ground Zero in Texas Drought: The first in a promised series of articles about Texas water in the Houston Chronicle kicks off on the Trinity River which, the piece points out, does not share the history or mystique of some of the state’s more well-known rivers, such as the Rio Grande, Brazos, Neches, Red, or Guadalupe. But the Trinity is Texas’s “hydraulic heart,” and in the current drought, it is nearly tapped.
Father Shoots Wife, Holds Kids During Three Hour Police Standoff: Two four-year-old boys survived a horrific shootout and standoff with police yesterday, as their father shot their mother six times and then barricaded himself in his apartment in West Dallas with the children for three hours before he finally surrendered. Though Martinez is in critical condition at Methodist Hospital, remarkably, she stumbled to her mother’s house after the incident to call for help.
Highland Park School District Hits $1 Billion Robin Hood Milestone: The outflow of tax dollars from Highland Park Independent School District to other Texas public school districts has hit the $1 billion mark.
Leading Off (11/7/11)
Did Fracking Cause Oklahoma Earthquakes? The largest earthquake ever recorded in Oklahoma stuck Saturday night, registering a 5.6 magnitude, with tremors felt as far south as Plano, Frisco, and Irving. That initial quake was then followed by ten aftershocks. And while gas companies claim there is no proof of a connection between drilling and and earthquakes, a position backed up (sort of) by the Oklahoma Geological Survey, there’s this: earthquakes in Oklahoma have spiked from 50 in 2009 to 1,047 in 2010; and this report on natural gas drilling in the United Kingdom did find an connection between earthquakes and fracking.
Eight Occupy Dallas Protesters Arrested, City To Investigate Confrontation: Video seems to show a police officer trying to rip a flag away from an Occupy Dallas protester, and when the protester resists (rather eagerly), the two tumble to the ground. That’s when hell broke loose: pepper spray and multiple arrests. Now the city is investigating the incident.
Tyson Chandler Won’t Return to Mavericks: That’s because of the new collective-bargaining agreement (still under-negotiation) that is increasingly likely to be the product of the ongoing NBA negotiations. “For years, the Lakers have been able to win championships and re-sign their players and keep them there so they can go out for another title,” Chandler says. “Now, to put that deal in place after we win ours, I don’t like it one bit.”
Leading Off (10/17/11)
Rangers, Meet Cardinals: Let the break downs begin: Battle of the sluggers; don’t underestimate the birds; teams have only met once before; both teams trust bullpens; storied Cards have historical edge; unofficial NPR poll favors Cards; it’s tough to hit homers in St. Louis; schedules/projected lineups.
Occupy Dallas Shoved Out of Pioneer Plaza: While Occupy Dallas is forced to move, Occupy Fort Worth protesters are arrested. And even if all of these satellite OWS protests seem more and more irrelevant, I’m starting to think Jim Schutze’s nightmares are reality.
Cold Weather Coming: Today’s expected high of 89 degrees may be the last of it. Here comes fall.
Leading Off (8/29/11)
Parents’ Bedwetting Punishment Kills Child: Because bedwetting isn’t enough of a humiliating ordeal, the parents of a 10-year-old Dallas boy decided to withhold water from their child for five days as punishment, and the boy eventually died when he collapsed and hit his head. That’s why Michael Ray James and Tina Alberson, both now in Dallas County jail, are this week’s winners of the most despicable and sickening parents in the world award.
Later This Week, The Sun Devil May Finally Show His Mercy: Forecasters are calling (sub. req.) for highs in the low 90s later in the week with a chance of rain. Couldn’t come sooner, as Sunday really strained the power grid. But the DMN article seems to lament that a break in the temperature later this week will mean we will come up short on breaking the record for most 100-degree days. I don’t really understand the desire. Seriously, just make it stop.
Jonathan Hudson Wins Dumbest Juror Ever Award: Why? Because he tried to “friend” the defendant in the case on Facebook. Nice.
Dallas Police Lineup Unit Stands Out From the Crowd: In this Boston Globe article (via the NYT, it would seem) Dallas’ special lineup unit gets a close look ahead of New Jersey’s efforts to overhaul their lineup program. Dallas assigns specially trained officers to lineups who have no relationship with individual cases to avoid witness coercion.
Perry Became a Millionaire While In Office: My favorite bit about this story is that when it comes down to hard cash, the anti-government poster boy, much like Michele Bachmann, has no problem pocketing government agricultural subsidies. Notice how both major Republican candidates have made their living/fortunes off the government or by leveraging their governmental positions.
Dirk Receives Germany’s Top Sports Honor: It’s called the Silver Laurel Leaf, and who else was going to win it this year, Andreas Klöden?
Beltre, Cruz Swap Spots on DL: The good news: Adrian Beltre starts a rehabilitation assignment in Triple-A Round Rock today and should return to the Rangers in a few days. The bad news? Friday night’s hero, Nelson Cruz, left last night’s game with a strained hamstring.
Yet Another Fan Seriously Injured At Ranger Game An unidentified 24-year-old man fell from a stairwell after the game Saturday night, proving once and for all that the Ballpark was constructed over an Native American burial ground and it is haunted by spiteful spirits, meaning the Rangers will need to move to a new stadium downtown preferably with a retractable roof so their starters won’t run out of gas mid-August.
Leading Off (7/11/11)
Rihanna Sets AAC on Fire: A fire broke out during Rihanna’s concert at the American Airlines Center Friday night, prematurely ending the show. Over on the Dallas Voice, John Wright has video of the fire, which, from the comfort of home, doesn’t look too bad, but it sounds like we were lucky to avoid a stampede of fleeing fans. Writes Wright:
I’ll be honest, I was among those scrambling for the exits. I was well aware of the Rangers fan who fell to his death at the ballpark in Arlington the night before, and I wasn’t about to get caught up in another North Texas stadium disaster.
Kidnapping, Death Leaves Dwaine Caraway’s Foot in Mouth Again: Last year, former temporary mayor Dwaine Caraway chided police for breaking up the action at a poker house in South Dallas, insisting that the force should spend its times cracking down on drugs and more “serious” crimes. Last week, that very same house was the setting of a kidnapping (sub. req.). On Thursday, Alton Marshall left the house at 4 a.m., he was taken by two unidentified men, according to a witness, and his body was found in a trunk in Oak Cliff the next day. Kind of drives home the broken windows theory.
Funeral Today For Man Who Died At Ranger Game, Hamilton Speaks About the Incident: Thousands are expected to attend the funeral today of Shannon Stone, who fell from the stands during a Ranger game last Thursday and died soon after. Over on the Star-Telegram’s baseball blog, Josh Hamilton, who tossed the ball to the fan who fell trying to catch it, talks about the dreaded game. During the same game, Hamilton hit a foul ball which clobbered another unsuspecting fan.
Hamilton also offered this: “It’s not something that’s going to make me go back to where I was.” He was referring to his past battles with drug and alcohol addiction, and said that his faith and support systems are so strong that he’s not tempted by his demons.
Leading Off (5/23/11)
District Has No Policy for Teacher Intervention of Student Attacks: At Boude Storey Middle School a teacher watched as students gagged and bound a special needs student with duct tape and cords. At Seagoville, here’s video of a geometry teacher with his hands in his pockets, watching one of his students get pummeled multiple times in the face by another student. Oh, and in this video a teacher maintains his authoritative position at the podium while two students – one shirtless – move into a ring of desks and box it out. Yeah, I would say the district needs a policy about teacher intervention.
Zoo Finds Birds That Flew Away During Outdoor Demonstration: Bethany told you over the weekend about the two macaws that escaped from the Dallas Zoo. No, they weren’t taken during the Rapture. No, they didn’t escape on a wacky cross-country adventure where they met a talking fox, an armadillo, and a cute squirrel voiced by Chris Rock who cracked well-timed jokes. They were about a dozen blocks away in an Oak Cliff neighborhood.
Man Calls Fire Department, Ends The Night Arrested: An Irving taxi cab driver called the fire department when a small fire broke out in his apartment. After it was extinguished, the firefighters discovered suspicious substances and illegal weapons in the man’s home, so they called the FBI. The man is now in jail.
Leading Off (5/16/11)
Brace Yourself For Five Exciting Bonus Weeks of Mayoral Campaigning: As expected, the dullest mayoral campaign in Dallas history is now even longer. The candidates are back on the trail. And yes, Tim’s string-pulling to make Rob (Ron) Natinsky the next mayor failed. The Dallas Morning News, however, is anointing Natinsky kingmaker (sorry Tim), but with his supporters wavering between concerns about Rawlings’ Democratic leanings and Kunkle’s marriage-happy life, my guess is they just forget to vote in the runoff.
Kidd Most Ironically-Named Player Left in Playoff Race: Yesterday, the OKC Thunder beat the Grizzlies to become the team that will lose to the Marvericks in the Western Conference Finals. If you need to get psyched up again for the playoffs, check out this New York Times feature on Jason Kidd’s quest to be the oldest point guard to win an NBA title in league history.
Handicaps Be Damned, Married Downs Couple Lives Out Normal Life: Grab the nearest hankie before you click through to this story about Austin Davenport and Christi Hockel, a married couple with Downs Syndrome living in East Dallas.
Wrong Way Parking Tickets Seem More Abundant
Does it seem like there are more tickets being handed out for parking on the “wrong side” of the street lately?
Dwaine Caraway’s Cop Car Confessional Released
At long last, below you will find the Dwaine Caraway audio (courtesy of our friends at the Observer). It’s interesting — but not in the way many of us expected it would be. Though he is foul-mouthed, Caraway is calm and collected as he explains to cops what went down in his house that night between him and wife. It really is easy to see where the guy is coming from. He’s trapped in his game room. His wife, state Rep. Barbara Mallory Caraway, has a knife. How long can he remain trapped? He has to come out eventually. And when he does, he’ll have to protect himself. Someone will get hurt. The only course of action? Call the police to help diffuse the situation. Sure, I’m with him.
Except. But.
Are we really to believe that this whole thing started, as Caraway says, because his wife was throwing out some of his aprons and he asked her not to? Why did Barbara freak out so violently? Because, as Caraway says on the tape, she might have a chemical imbalance? Or because, as he says later, she can’t handle power?
Then there are the clothes strewn about the living room floor. Caraway mentions these to cops several times. He wants them to know that his house doesn’t normally look like that. He’s been organizing his closets, he says, and that’s why the suits and so forth are all over the place. Riiight. That’s usually what I do, too, when I have people over to watch football games. I take out all my clothes and spread them around the living room so my buddies can help me tidy up my closets during commercial breaks.
Dwaine Caraway is a liar. He’s been lying throughout this whole process. I feel for him on the marital discord stuff. He’s clearly got problems on the homefront. But he wasn’t telling the cops the truth about what, exactly, went down that night.
The question remains: what is Caraway trying to cover up?
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Leading Off (3/14/11)
Cuban Says He’s Close To Agreement Charlie Sheen, Joins “Shark Tank:” In this interview with the New York Post, Mark Cuban reveals that he is close to coming to an agreement with Charlie Sheen on a new HD Net show, will join the venture capitalist television show “Shark Tank,” and won’t likely buy the New York Mets.
Texas and California Have Similar Problems, Offer Different Solutions: Surprise, surprise: Texas and California are taking different approaches to similar budgetary crises. Perry boasts chides California for “high taxes, high regulation.” Californians retort: “Texas ranks 50th in adults with a high school diploma, fourth in the percentage of people living below the federal poverty level and first in the amount of toxic chemicals and carcinogens in the air and water.” But here’s the real difference: Gov. Perry carries a gun when he jogs; Gov. Jerry Brown of California once worked at a hospice run by Mother Teresa in Calcutta.
Despite Fears, St. Patrick’s Alcohol Crackdown Not Excessive: When the green dust cleared Saturday evening, police had issued 21 consuption citations, six tickets for public intoxication, and two DUIs. Not bad considering an estimated 100,000 people attended the event:
Officers appeared to be more occupied with crowd control than cracking down on people who were drinking alcohol in public — so long as they were not causing trouble.
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