Crime lab investigation stalled; Mayor has no opinion
The Chronicle reports that the city is still dragging its feet on spending the money necessary for Michael Bromwich's team to finish its investigation of HPD's crime lab:
The only comprehensive investigation of the Houston crime lab remains on hold, three months after dwindling funds stalled the probe that first exposed evidence of serious problems such as falsified test results and the tailoring of reports to fit police theories.
While Police Chief Harold Hurtt has expressed support for completing the inquiry, another high-ranking police official has said it is not worth the $1.5 million investigators are seeking. Several City Council members also have raised doubts, and Mayor Bill White has been noncommittal.
[snip]
"My question to Mr. Bromwich is, basically, 'What are you going to provide in that $1.5 million that we haven't already received?' " Executive Assistant Police Chief Martha Montalvo said at a July 25 council committee meeting.
Hurtt, however, has said he would like to see Bromwich complete the probe.
"The money would have to be worked out by City Council," he said after Montalvo's comments, "but we ought to let him finish up his job."
Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal, who last year provided $500,000 to help with the probe, agreed Monday that the team should be allowed to complete its work.
Hurtt and Rosenthal are right. The city has already spent a considerable amount of money on this investigation, which is not complete. HPD's crime lab fiasco has cast doubt on this area's criminal justice system. Finishing this important investigation into what went wrong really is not optional.
The stunner here is Mayor White's refusal to take a stand one way or the other, just as he has refused to take a stand on his soft-on-crime police chief's temporarily suspended no-chase policy. We elect leaders to lead. So it's time for Mayor White to push this investigation to its rightful conclusion, or to explain why investigating past problems with our criminal justice system does not merit the expenditure (instead of hiding behind an executive assistant police chief).
This is one area where money shouldn't even be that big a concern, but here's a win-win proposal -- since Mayor White continues to insist that his red-light-camera revenue stream really isn't about the money, surely he can't object to setting aside revenues generated by the red light cameras to fund the conclusion of Michael Bromwich's investigation of HPD's crime lab.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/19/06 12:11 PM | Print |
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