The Trinidad Police Department in Texas is to be shut down after the state’s law-enforcement regulator found that it failed to meet minimum standards and could not show that it provided a public benefit to the community.
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) informed Trinidad’s mayor of its decision in a letter. The department’s licences are due to be withdrawn by Friday, leaving the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office to take on law-enforcement duties in the town.
Trinidad Police Department found lacking basic resources
TCOLE said the department did not have essential resources for officers, including bullet-proof vests and an evidence room. Investigators also found that it lacked nearly two dozen required policies.
The missing procedures covered areas including the use of force, active-shooter incidents, vehicle pursuits and officers’ professional conduct.
The decision follows months of controversy surrounding the department, including the arrest in May of Jennifer Combs over a Facebook post about Trinidad’s troubled water system. She was charged with felony false alarm, but the case was later dropped.
State investigators subsequently identified a series of problems with the town’s water system. The arrest attracted national attention and prompted TCOLE to investigate the police department.
Henderson County sheriff to provide policing
Henderson County prosecutors had already said they would stop accepting cases investigated solely by Trinidad officers. The sheriff’s office agreed to respond to crimes within the town, while pending cases were to be reviewed individually.
Steven Stearman, a Trinidad city council member, described the closure as the result of a failure of accountability. He said the decision could also allow the city to redirect funds towards repairing its water system.
“Depending on how we fluctuate the funds, we might fix the water sooner,” Mr Stearman said. “To me, that’s what I would suggest we do immediately.”
He added: “It didn’t happen overnight. The state finally came in, stepped in and shut it down.”
The Texas Rangers are continuing to investigate city and police officials in connection with several controversial arrests linked to the water dispute. Trinidad’s longer-term policing arrangements have yet to be announced.
