Disgraced former HPD captain attempts comeback
Various news outlets are reporting on disgraced former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre's attempts to get his job back, with back pay!
Here's an excerpt from the Chronicle's coverage:
During emotional and sometimes angry testimony Tuesday, former Houston Police Department Capt. Mark Aguirre claimed he was wrongfully fired and was betrayed by his co-workers.
During a hearing before an independent arbitrator, Aguirre said he wants his job back and the pay he has lost since he was fired almost two years ago for his handling of Operation ERACER, a controversial raid at a west Houston Kmart parking lot that became a legal fiasco for the city.
"Sir, you can't put me back together — I know that," he told the hearing examiner. "You have no idea what's happened to me, how I was betrayed by my co-workers and my Police Department. ... They destroyed me financially. They destroyed me reputationwise. You can't give me my reputation back. But I want that back pay, at the very least. ... I want my job back, and I want to be given some measure of dignity."
An attorney for the city, calling Aguirre the "mastermind" of the raid, claimed the fired police captain has no recourse.
Aguirre, 47, said he did nothing wrong and violated no rules or department policies when he embarked on the sweep, designed to crack down on racing enthusiasts and spectators clogging west Houston parking lots. Aguirre also said HPD's administration had approved plans for the operation, but scapegoated officers when the controversy became a political firestorm.
The August 2002 sweep in the 8400 block of Westheimer yielded 278 arrests, mostly for trespassing and curfew violations, none related to racing. A smaller raid the night before led to 25 arrests outside a nearby restaurant. All charges were dropped after HPD was deluged with complaints and lawsuits.
Aguirre speculated Tuesday that former Mayor Lee Brown directed all charges be dropped to protect former Police Chief C.O. Bradford, who publicly disavowed knowledge of the raid. When pressed, Aguirre could not provide proof, saying only, "That's my gut feeling."
Blogger Charles Kuffner downplays Aguirre's chances of success in this move. I would agree if Houston's civil service procedures were sensible, but it's important to remember that fired workers from HPD's notorious crime lab have actually been reinstated as a result of similar proceedings. In contrast, Aguirre's actions may have been unacceptably over the top, but nobody was sent to death row (erroneously) as a result. It will not shock me if he is reinstated.
(09-30-2004 Update) The Chronicle runs additional coverage today.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/29/04 10:10 PM | Print |
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