This post was originally published on Leave the lights on.
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This is in reference to the story I wrote about here, in which a Texas City police officer was involved in a fatal crash while off-duty.
"Leave the Lights On" means that in this space, I will always present information as accurately and unambiguously as I can. Deliberately or negligently presenting misinformation is dishonorable.
In that spirit, I am reporting that Captain Groetschius of the Texas City Police Department returned my phone call (after I additionally sent him an e-mail) clarifying what happened with Officer White after the crash.
Captain Groetschius said that due to injuries he sustained in the crash, Officer White never returned to duty, although he was not removed from the duty roster. He also stated that per department policy, their internal investigation won't begin until the criminal investigation is completed. He also mentioned that Officer White is a civil service employee.
My own conclusion, reading between the lines, is that the department found it unnecessary to place its officer on administrative leave until the charges were brought. Departments have to tread carefully in these situations because civil service employees have their own set of rights.
The bottom line is that according to the captain, his words were misrepresented by the Houston Chronicle. Funny that a stay-at-home mom with a phone and an e-mail account can find out more than they can.
