Criminal justice is under serious scrutiny in Houston. Because of the unforced errors – or worse – by officials in the January 28 Pecan Park no-knock warrant entry raid that left two residents dead and five officers seriously injured, calls are now increasing for an independent investigation by the FBI and Texas Rangers. The sworn affidavit supporting the search warrant executed by those officers is now reported to contain false statements by the officer in charge. Should this falsehood be confirmed, the consequences of these officers’ actions will reach even further than the two deaths and the officers’ injuries.
Other, pending cases will now be scrutinized and second-guessed, and some perhaps will be dismissed. Justice may even be diverted from offender accountability towards police officer discipline with the continued investigation into and analysis of this raid and other searches, regrettable yet a necessary task of criminal justice.
The bottom line – law enforcement must always cross t’s, dot i’s and play by the rules, or risk losing its credibility and the community’s loss of confidence. When that happens, anarchy gains a foothold. Houstonians facing rising crime rates can’t afford this especially now.
For an excellent summary of the problem left for us to solve see Bill King Blog where Houston mayoral candidate and respected public policy commentator Bill King clearly summarizes the events, the current response by Houston leaders, the history and statistics of no-knock warrants, and the actions going forward that must be taken to restore public faith in our law enforcement and criminal justice system.
Meanwhile, good lawyers can independently evaluate pending cases with search and arrest warrant facts – Jay Karahan Law PLLC should be on your list of candidates.
