Are some of Houston's top cops blurring the badge?
A 13 Undercover exclusive By Wayne Dolcefino
(5/21/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) - Houston police headquarters is rocked by an internal investigation. The focus - lucrative security deals of some of HPD's top commanders.
Are some of the city's top cops worried about an extra payday while you're paying them to worry about protecting your family?
Since our investigation began, one HPD captain has resigned his security jobs making him tens of thousands of dollars more than the city was already paying him. He's one of the HPD brass under fire for blurring the badge.
They're dancing the night away at Riches in Midtown. But in the daytime, look at the scene just feet from the club's front doors -- a legion of transients swarming outside a charity for the homeless.
"They defecate, urinate on our property," said Nassim Joseph, who owns Rich's night club. "There's drug dealing going on here."
Left behind is evidence the street is being used as a trash can, a bedroom and toilet.
"Sometimes, they are having sex on the sidewalks," said Joseph.
Even near trendier parts of Midtown, the homeless still roam in a city big on crime and short on cops. Midtown's management district has turned to off-duty lawmen for help.
Midtown security is coordinated by a top commander of the Houston Police Department -- Captain Dewayne Ready. This isn't city business. It's the captain's private deal.
"I'm aware you've got questions," said Captain Ready when we went to go talk to him.
Questions about how this police captain found the time to nearly double his annual salary with lucrative deals to coordinate private security, all while working full time for the city as a big money commander on Chief Hurtt's staff.
Oh -- he's also going to law school at the same time.
"To answer your question, how do I find the time? It's been hard," said Ready. "I admit it."
But has this police captain been distracted by dollar signs? $15,600 from the Midtown neighborhood, $12,000 more for security work in southeast Houston, and $34,500 more to coordinate the off-duty HPD cops who patrol the Texas Medical Center around the clock. There's only 24 hours in a day.
"City policy is that you don't do private business on city time or on city equipment," said Houston Controller Annise Parker.
What's the evidence? Hundreds of emails obtained by 13 Undercover; communications between Captain Ready and his private employers in all hours of the city work day on city computers.
"The use of police department computers for extra job purposes is strictly prohibited and against departmental policies," said HPD lawyer Craig Farrell.
Ready denies misconduct, but apparently has spare time on his hands.
"If I'm there and all my work is done and there's nothing left to do, I'm obliged to react to that," said Ready.
There are extra patrol cars.
The commander of the northwest police station, Carl Driskell makes nearly $18,000 a year on the side coordinating security for the Greenspoint area, which is outside his command area. It's an off-duty job, but Driscoll is clearly on duty using a city computer in emails advising Greenspoint of their list of broken street lights.
We've done a story on how broken street lights can breed crime. The captain won't talk to us, so we can't find out if he worries about broken street lights in the neighborhood he's paid by the city to protect.
"We do feel with rank comes a responsibility and with the responsibility comes greater accountability," said Farrell.
HPD policy prohibits use of city computers to solicit officers for extra employment. On Captain Bob Robertson's computer, we found exactly that -- a solicitation for Villa de Matel church on Lawndale. Robertson coordinates private security there. Interested officers are told to call an HPD phone number.
"If that was on there, that was inappropriate and that's something we would look at," said Farrell.
Can a city battling so much crime tolerate its top Houston police commanders being distracted by dollar signs?
"It takes probably about fifteen seconds to reply to an email," said Captain Ready.
The city controller sees a potential conflict.
"Those senior commanders within the department are always ultimately on duty and they don't have a regular eight-hour day and I think that becomes very problematic," said Parker.
Especially when emails document a police commander working on city time to get crime help for the people giving him a bigger paycheck than the rest of us are to reduce crime.
"Are people buying influence when they pay a commander of the police department?" we asked Captain Ready.
"No, they are purchasing a service," he responded.
And what exactly is that service? Tomorrow, are neighborhoods paying extra, getting special attention and faster response from HPD headquarters?
(5/22/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) - A warning for top police commanders as 13 Undercover looks at the lucrative security deals one police captain had.
Does putting a police commander on your payroll get your neighborhood special attention or faster response?
Top Houston police commanders make between $75,000 and $125,000, but they are allowed to have extra jobs...with one important catch -- they're supposed to do their other jobs when they are not working on your dime. And now, internal affairs is investigating if some HPD brass are blurring the badge.
At Culinary Creations, the red beans and rice are just the beginning of Duterice Dunbar's culinary creation. The restaurant is banking on the revitalization of Almeda Road. Business owners in an 11 square mile area pay an extra tax to the Greater Southeast Management District.
"They want to feel and they want their customers to feel safe when they come into this area," said Jason McLemore, executive director of the Greater Southeast Management District.
The district pays $1,000 a month to their security coordinator -- HPD Captain Duane Ready. Does it buy them special attention?
"It should have same priority and citizens should expect the same service across the board," said HPD Executive Assistant Chief Michael Thaler.
Look at what happened on Almeda. The district he's working for on the side forwards an email complaint to Ready about alleged drugs and prostitution at a house on Arbor. In just two hours, Ready has already sent word to two fellow captains -- the heads of vice and narcotics. You know when the place was busted? The very next day.
"I don't think that would be typical, no," said Executive Assistant Chief Thaler.
"Do you forward every single narcotics complaint you receive to the captain of narcotics?" we asked to Ready.
"Yes, I do," he said.
Maybe all of us should have Captain Ready's email address.
"Well, maybe he deserved that $1,000," said Dunbar.
Suspected gang members shoot up a window at a Midtown rail station. Ready's employers there want to know if they should alert the neighborhood. On his city email, Ready asks a member of his on-duty police staff to "research this incident and let me know if there have been any arrests". Is the captain working for HPD or is he using a city employee for a neighborhood paying him $1,300 a month.?
"When some information is brought to my attention, I really don't care where it comes from, Wayne," said Captain Ready. "Honestly, I have a duty to act on that information."
A Midtown complaint about "noise levels" from a bar prompts Captain Ready to email a police captain to have a "supervisor" investigate.
A lot on Rosalie is fenced in, but last November, a Midtown resident complained of alleged drug activity -- 'one overgrown lot.'
"Should I contact Channel 13?" she wrote.
Midtown bosses forward the complaint to the HPD commander on their payroll -- Captain Ready. Ready sends word to the chief of neighborhood protection -- the head of narcotics -- even has one of his on-duty community service officers go to check out the location.
"Are people buying influence when they pay a commander of the police department?" we asked.
"No, they are purchasing a service," said Ready.
"And the service is..." we asked.
"Coordination of bike units," said Ready.
That's what Captain Ready sees as his prime job in the Almeda area. and in Midtown -- scheduling off-duty HPD bike patrols. But do the people paying these cops really know when they are working? Or even if they are working?
"I have no compunction at all saying when the officers put in their work card to ride the district, that they are out here riding the district," said Captain Ready.
Then we looked at the records, which show some officers are claim they were working for the city and at their off-duty bike patrol at the exact same time.
The only person that fast is the Man of Steel.
"No, nobody is Superman," said Captain Ready.
"You made your point, I think," said Executive Assistant Chief Thaler.
We thought we'd give our viewers the same advantage paying neighborhoods apparently get from some HPD commanders. Click here for email addresses of every captain in HPD. Email your crime problem directly to the big guns. They can thank Captain Ready for the idea. Tomorrow night at 10pm, we've seen Superman. Next, we'll show you HPD time sheets that look like they've come from "Ripleys Believe it or Not."
CONTACT A CAPTAIN - Would you like to get an HPD captain to look into crime? Wayne has posted all of their email addresses here.
A. H. Anderson, Capt. - CENTRAL - Arnie.Anderson@cityofhouston.net
R. W. Robertson, Capt. - EMERGENCY COMM. - Bob.Robertson@cityofhouston.net
B. D. Williams, Capt. - FONDREN - Bruce.Williams@cityofhouston.net
C. W. Driskell, Capt. - NORTHWEST - Carl.Driskell@cityofhouston.net
C. Moore, Capt. - BURGLARY & THEFT - Ceaser.Moore@cityofhouston.net
C. S. Goralski, Capt. - INSPECTIONS - Craig.Goralski@cityohouston.net
D. J. Schindler, Capt. - SOUTHWEST - Darrell.Schindler@cityofhouston.net
D. A. Gott, Capt. - INTERNAL AFFAIRS/ CENTRAL INTAKE OFFICE - David.Gott@cityofhouston.net
D. J. Williams, Capt. - TACTICAL OPERATIONS - DavidJ.Williams@cityofhouston.net
D. Perry, Capt. - MARSHAL - Douglas.Perry@cityofhouston.net
G. D. Yorek, Capt. - KINGWOOD - Glenn.Yorek@cityofhouston.net
G. J. Fremin, Capt. - SPECIAL OPERATIONS - Gregory.Fremin@cityofhouston.net
R. W. Holland, Capt. - CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE - Richard.Holland@cityofhouston.net
J. P. Mokwa, Capt. - JUVENILE - J.Mokwa@cityofhouston.net James
G. Jones, Capt. - OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL - James.Jones@cityofhouston.net
Jay L. Jones, Capt. - SOUTH CENTRAL - Jay.Jones@cityofhouston.net
John D. Anderson, Capt. - HOMELAND SECURITY - John.Anderson@cityofhouston.net
J. A. Lampignano, Capt. - ROBBERY - Joseph.Lampignano@cityofhouston.net
K. A. Haynes, Capt. - HUMAN RESOURCES - Kathryn.Haynes@cityofhouston.net
L. A. Bender, Capt. - MOBILITY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT - Lori.Bender@cityofhouston.net
M. H. Luiz, Capt. - EASTSIDE -Michael.Luiz@cityofhouston.net
Mark Curran, Capt. - CHIEF OF STAFF - Mark.Curran@cityofhouston.net
M. A. Eisenman, Capt. - CRIME ANALYSIS & COMMAND CENTER - Mark.Eisenman@cityofhouston.net
M. R. Fougerousse, Capt. - SOUTHEAST - Mark.Fougerousse@cityofhouston.net
M. S. Holloway, Capt. - JAIL - Mark.Holloway@cityofhouston.net
M. E. Lentschke, Capt. - TRAINING - Mary.Lentschke@cityofhouston.net
M. T. Ngo, Capt. - NIGHT COMMANDER - Matthew.Ngo@cityofhouston.net
D. R . McKinney, Capt. - NORTHEAST - Donald.McKinney@cityofhouston.net
M. D. Graham, Capt. - GANG - Michael.Graham@cityofhouston.net
M. D. Brown, Capt. - HOMICIDE - Milton.Brown@cityofhouston.net
R. D. Ellen, Capt. - NORTH - Randy.Ellen@cityofhouston.net
D. W. Ready, Capt. - PUBLIC AFFAIRS - Dwayne.Ready@cityofhouston.net
R. W. Bownds, Capt. - AIRPORT - Richard.Bownds@cityofhouston.net
R. A. Gerstner, Capt. - WESTSIDE - Richard.Gerstner@cityofhouston.net
R. A. Montgomery, Capt. - AUTO THEFT - Robert.Montgomery@cityofhouston.net
S. A. Smith, Capt. NARCOTICS Stephen.Smith@cityofhouston.net
S. R. Jett, Capt. - VICE - Steven.Jett@cityofhouston.net
D. T. Runyan, Capt. - TRAFFIC - Tom.Runyan@cityofhouston.net
Victor Rodriguez, Capt. - PROPERTY ROOM - Victor.Rodriguez@cityofhouston.net
D. E. Watkins, Capt. - MAJOR OFFENDERS - David.Watkins@cityofhouston.net
W. R. Goralski, Capt. - CLEAR LAKE - Wayne.Goralski@cityofhouston.net
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)