Tag Archives: Constable

Endorsement watch: First, reform the office

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has almost as much to say about the office of Constable as it does about the candidates for Constable that they prefer. Harris County needs to bring these law enforcement fiefdoms in line: Update precincts to equalize populations, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

It’s not just Precinct 4

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There are problems with evidence rooms in other Constable precincts as well. With Harris County’s Precinct 4 Constable’s Office mired in scandal over the improper destruction of 21,000 pieces of evidence, serious evidence cataloging and control problems also have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Internal report on Precinct 4 evidence destruction

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The more you look, the worse it appears. One of the first hints of anything awry in the Precinct 4 property room came in an email from evidence manager Christopher T. Hess. Harris County District Attorney “Investigator Kerry Gillie called … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

More on the Precinct 4 evidence destruction scandal

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of cases have been compromised. District Attorney Devon Anderson’s office first learned in April that the mistaken destruction of evidence in Harris County’s Precinct 4 had likely compromised more than a thousand criminal cases, including more than 400 in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Precinct 4 evidence destruction debacle

Posted on September 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

What the heck is going on here? The Harris County Precinct 4 deputy who was fired after destroying evidence in hundreds of pending criminal cases this year has been wrongfully tossing evidence without following department protocol since 2007, Constable Mark … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Democratic primary runoff results

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County results Fort Bend County results Statewide results Trib liveblog Just for the record, we didn’t get any precinct results until 8:34, at which time only 8% of precincts had reported. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because of overwhelming … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Endorsement watch: Remember the runoffs

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes their endorsements for the primary runoffs, which will happen on May 24, with early voting from the 16th to the 20th. Let me sum up: Republican Member, Railroad Commissioner: Gary Gates Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Remember the runoffs

Runoff watch: JPs and Constables

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

OK, sit back and settle in, this may take awhile. Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 1 – Democratic The race to succeed retiring JP Dale Gorczynski turned out to be a bit of a barnburner. The two leading … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Runoff watch: JPs and Constables

Third-place Constable candidate alleges fraud in his race

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, goodie. A Harris County constable chief deputy who narrowly missed making the runoff in the Precinct 3 constable’s primary election earlier this month has sued the top two vote-getters, seeking to annul the results because of alleged violations of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

2016 Election page is up

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here it is. A few notes: – This is for races that will appear on the Harris County ballot only. Our ballot is big enough, with enough contested primary races, that I didn’t have the time or the energy to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Republican filing deadline highlights

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As a followup to this, here’s a look at who filed for what in the Republican primary here in Harris County. Set your phasers to “snark” and come on in with me. Congress There are nine Congressional districts partially or … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Filing deadline highlights

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’m taking a look at interesting bits from the state and Harris County Democratic Party filings. You can see the latter here; there isn’t a page dedicated to this on the TDP webpage (why?) but via this press release we … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

CM Ed Gonzalez to run for Sheriff

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. City Councilman Ed Gonzalez, an 18-year Houston Police Department veteran, announced Tuesday that he will run for Harris County Sheriff next year. Gonzalez is finishing his third and final term as councilman of District H, the majority Hispanic district … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New Precinct 4 Constable chosen

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Now that Ron Hickman is Sheriff, that left a vacancy in his old job as Precinct 4 Constable. Commissioners Court has now filled that vacancy. At a special meeting Tuesday morning Harris County Commissioners Court selected Mark Herman, assistant chief … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

More on Sheriff Hickman

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A profile of appointed Sheriff Ron Hickman that’s long on biography but short on policy. Hickman is 63 and has spent his entire career doing police work. No step on his path has been sudden or unanticipated. Hickman expressed interest … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Fighting illegal dumping

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Illegal dumping of trash is a huge problem in some Houston neighborhoods. Enforcement is especially tricky because unless you catch someone in the act, there’s little to no evidence to go on. One way to help catch dumpers in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fletcher will run for Sheriff in 2016

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not unexpected. The day after Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia announced he is running for mayor of Houston, Republican state Rep. Allen Fletcher of Cypress said he would abandon his House seat for a bid to replace Garcia. “I will … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Adrian is in

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Speculation time is over. Ending months of speculation, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia has declared his candidacy for mayor of Houston Wednesday. Garcia, whose strong name recognition and deep law enforcement experience make him a likely frontrunner, will make his … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Now what do we do with those body cameras?

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

KPRC addresses an important question. HPD has been running a pilot program regarding body cameras for more than a year. 100 officers are currently wearing a body camera. The department has yet to finalize a policy on the use of … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Now what do we do with those body cameras?

Commissioners Court approves body camera purchase

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously approved District Attorney Devon Anderson’s plan to spend $1.9 million in seized assets to equip Houston police officers and Harris County sheriff’s deputies with body cameras. County officials also said they would … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Henry Martinez named as interim Constable

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations. A 23-year veteran of the Houston Community College police department will succeed the disgraced Victor Trevino as constable in Precinct Six, county officials announced Monday, elevating a Latino officer who promises to have no aspirations to become a Latino … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Henry Martinez named as interim Constable

Trevino gets probation

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Such a shame. Former Harris County Precinct 6 constable Victor Trevino, who pleaded guilty in a public corruption case this month, was sentenced on Monday to 10 years of probation – avoiding incarceration for his criminal activity and capping a … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Trevino gets probation

Searching for a successor to Victor Trevino

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Commissioners Court is on it. Harris County commissioners are preparing to accept the resignation of convicted Constable Victor Trevino and to start looking for his replacement. Trevino, who pleaded guilty last week to a felony charge as a jury was … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Trevino takes a plea

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Disgraceful. Harris County Precinct 6 constable Victor Trevino pleaded guilty Monday to misapplication of fiduciary property, a day after beginning trial on allegations that he diverted money from his charity for personal use. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Constable Victor Trevino goes to trial

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In case you want to follow a story that isn’t related to the election. The money was supposed to go to a charity that would pay for neighborhood events, but instead, prosecutors said, the longtime East End law enforcement official … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Constable Victor Trevino goes to trial

Abercia gets probation

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good riddance. Former Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Jack Abercia was sentenced Wednesday to three years probation for conducting illegal criminal background checks to raise money, in part, for an elevator in his home. Abercia pleaded guilty in August to … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Abercia gets probation

Abercia takes a plea

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Former Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Jack Abercia told investigators he performed illegal background checks to raise money, in part, for an elevator at his home, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Abercia pleaded guilty Thursday to 11 counts of exceeding … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Abercia takes a plea

Lawsuit filed against Galveston County redistricting

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Expect more of this going forward. A Galveston County plan slashing the number of justice-of-the-peace districts from eight to four intentionally discriminates against minority voters and should be blocked, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday. The lawsuit comes exactly … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Lawsuit filed against Galveston County redistricting

Pasadena proceeds with its needless redistricting

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. Except for one agenda item which drew a large crowd, many public speakers, an unusually long time of councilmember’s explanations and a 5-4 vote, Tuesday’s (August 20) Pasadena City Council meeting was “Regular.” Their … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Constable Trevino’s day in court

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It went about as you’d expect. Precinct 6 Constable Victor Trevino and his attorney said Tuesday they expect the longtime law enforcement officer to be cleared of any wrongdoing in connection with allegations he abused his official role and used … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Constable Trevino’s day in court

Constable Trevino indicted

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Lovely. Longtime Precinct 6 Constable Victor Trevino was indicted Friday, accused of failing to report cash campaign contributions, diverting money from his youth charity for personal use and using deputies to serve eviction notices and then keeping the delivery fees. … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

All the interviews for 2012

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As we begin early voting for the November election, here are all the interviews I conducted for candidates who are on the ballot as well as for the referenda. These include interviews that were done for the primary as well … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on All the interviews for 2012

Precinct 1 Constable overview

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron takes a look at the Constable race in Precinct 1, which will determine the successor to disgraced former Constable Jack Abercia. [Republican Joe] Danna, 59, and a Precinct 1 deputy for 18 years, pledged to reorganize an office … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

30 Day finance reports, Harris County candidates

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a look at the 30 day campaign finance reports for Harris County candidates. All reports can be found by going to the Harris County Clerk campaign finance reports page. Candidate Office Raised Spent Loans Cash ========================================================== Garcia Sheriff 192,670 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment