Or more precisely, the lack thereof. At least in some cases.
KHOU 11 reports that David Carter, a senior police veteran with the force since 2002, has been relieved of duty temporarily, and therefore he no longer has a badge or police powers while the investigation is being conducted.
KHOU discovered that Carter allegedly wrote several speeding tickets without ever pulling the drivers over.
Emanuel Morfin was startled when he received a speeding ticket via certified mail. The ticket claimed he was doing 90 mph in a 60 mph zone on the North Freeway. Morfin, however, says he wasn’t even near that area at the time.
“Actually I was down south in South Texas, so I’m like, well how am I speeding in Houston if I’m out of town?” Morfin said. “It was kind of ridiculous, I was kind of shocked.”
City officials did not say when the tickets were issued, or when the traffic violations occurred, Chron.com reports.
Officials say that Carter was reportedly in his personal car when he allegedly saw people breaking traffic laws, said Janice Evans, a spokeswoman for Houston Mayor Annie Parker. He wrote down license plate numbers of the vehicles in question, researched the numbers to locate the addresses for the owners, and then mailed the citations to them, she said, adding that a total of four citations were mailed.
“You have an officer who is abusing their discretionary authority,” said Larry Karson, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Houston-Downtown, Opposing Views reports. “You have no idea who’s driving that car. You’re sending that ticket to a registered owner, who may or may not be behind the wheel.”
KHOU tracked down Carter and questioned him at a parking lot not far from his north Houston home. Each of reporter Jeremy Rogalski’s questions was met with a solid “I have no comment. I have no comment.”
Karson notes that the situation was made worse because Carter paced alleged violators in his personal car — and that placed the public at risk, KAGS reported.
“He’s actually making the situation worse, because what he’s doing is he’s becoming another vehicle flying down at 90 miles an hour and no one knows that he is a police officer. All they know it’s another crazy person on the highway.”
KHOU tried to get answers again, but Carter just walked to his car, and that was it.
The officer is being paid as the investigation continues, but he has to remain home during work hours for the time being. The cases have been dismissed for the citizens who received the tickets in the mail.
