(Houston) — Mayor Annise Parker is making changes to the way excessive force complaints are handled with the Houston Police Department as more and more videotaped abuse allegations make the news.
Here is what you need to know if you are filing a complaint, based on the experiences of a news reporter who has been through the process several times, including two complaints against officers within the past six-months.
In the late 90’s, the Houston Police Department made the process more difficult for people who felt their rights were violated by HPD officers. The department started requiring all reports to be made at downtown headquarters with sworn affidavits being filled out by Internal Affairs Division officers. Now, Mayor Parker is responding to the recent videotaped abuses by swinging back the other direction, making the process easier for citizens once again.
The Mayor announced last week that she’s placed a link on the front page of the City of Houston website, offering the sworn complaint forms online and telling citizens they no longer have to endure the hassle of a trip to police headquarters.
Critics saw the old policy as a way of discouraging people from filing complaints.
via Houston Police abuse complaints process undergoes changes – Houston Page One | Examiner.com.
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