News Top Tens

Top 10 APD Moments

1) The Sound of Glasses Clinking: APD Assistant Chief Jimmy Chapman has left the building. Yes, it's true. Although he has insisted that he's done nothing wrong, even as controversy and allegations of improper conduct have swarmed around him all year, Chapman unexpectedly decided to leave the APD effective Dec. 31. What will happen with the Jeff White whistle-blower lawsuit? What will happen with the administrative and/or criminal inquiry into the allegation that Chapman committed perjury while under oath in July? That's a story for 2004...

2) Issues? What Issues?: "We meet issues head-on. That's my slogan; that's my motto in the department." That's what Chief Stan Knee told reporters during a Nov. 19 press conference regarding a Travis Co. grand jury report that raises questions about policing practices. Unfortunately, Knee's slogan doesn't appear to have taken hold; 2003 saw another barrage of accusations that his administration engages in disparate disciplinary practices and a continuation of administrative denial of the long-standing allegations of criminal corruption within the department's upper ranks.

3) Blame Game: To recap: The city blames the Austin Police Association; the APA blames the city. Will anybody ever see the contents of the outside investigation into the Sophia King shooting?

4) It's All About the Paper, Silly: The "official" response to Lucy Neyens' allegation that Detective Howard Staha forced her to perform oral sex on him in exchange for continued police protection for her son, a former APD confidential informant, was that the case was "inconclusive." Yet, in a confidential memo penned by Knee, the chief tells Staha that his actions in the case were inappropriate. Conflict? Yes, but does the city care? Apparently not: What's really bothering them is how the Chronicle managed to snag that memo. In September, the city hired a private investigator to look into the matter. No word on the outcome yet, but we're sure it was $5,000 well spent.

5) Don't Look Behind the Curtain: Over the past six years city officials have settled at least two whistle-blower lawsuits related to the now-defunct, mid-Nineties undercover drug investigation code-named Mala Sangre. This has, of course, given them the edge in avoiding all questions related to that scandalous affair. But it appears that lucky streak has come to an end. In 2003, city officials finally met their match: Officer Jeff White. White pushed his suit (originally filed in mid-2002) further in one year -- uncovering several nasty APD skeletons in the process -- than anyone else ever has.

6) Reeling One In: Chief Knee slammed his iron fist this fall, disciplining six officers who were popped for fishing while on duty. Sure, the incident was embarrassing, and, sure, the officers shouldn't be fishing while working and in uniform (imagine the dry-cleaning bills!). Still, it's hard to rally around Knee's decision when, within the same time frame, he's basically offered Jimmy Chapman a complete pass on potential administrative and criminal violations related to an allegation that he committed perjury while under oath. Now that's meeting issues head-on.

7) The Truth Hurts: During a September deposition taken in connection with White's whistle-blower suit, retired 31-year department veteran Gary Fleming offered testimony that completely dismantled the city's official line about the Mala Sangre investigation. Fleming refuted the repeated assurances of Knee and City Manager Toby Futrell that all the Mala Sangre-related allegations had been fully vetted by internal investigators. According to Fleming, who spent 18 years as an Internal Affairs investigator, none of the allegations were fully investigated, and only a handful were even reviewed in any way -- and only under the strict direction of APD brass.

8) Life in Limbo: Will Officer Scott Glasgow face criminal charges as a result of the June shooting death of Jessie Lee Owens? Will he face departmental sanction? The answers are still unknown, yet the Owens shooting -- the details of which are still sketchy -- touched off a political firestorm. We can only hope that all the political posturing won't derail justice for the officer or the victim.

9) Report? What Report?: Back in August, Knee made a big show of hiring outside investigator, and friend, James McLaughlin to head an inquiry into whether Chapman committed perjury while under oath. Originally, McLaughlin was given 30 days to complete his inquiry. Then the city issued a written extension, giving McLaughlin another 30 days. So, where's the report? According to the city, McLaughlin was offered two more verbal extensions to his contract. So, where's the report? Your guess is as good as ours -- but we're sure that was another $30,000 well spent.

10) Who Will Police the Police?: With no money on the table, tweaking civilian oversight was the biggest bargaining chip on the table during meet-and-confer contract negotiations between the city and the police union. The union offered to remove civilian oversight from their contract altogether, and to allow the city to make public the contents of any and all reports resulting from independent investigations -- two major concessions that should've made the city salivate, right? Whether city officials will take the union up on that fairly tremendous offer is still unknown, but we haven't seen any napkin-toting city officials.