>> 9.30 SINCE 2010 2 THIRDS OF FIRED SAN ANTONIO POLICE OFFICERS WON THEIR JOBS BACK
THROUGH ARBITRATION NOW A NEW
KSAT DEFENDERS INVESTIGATIVE
SERIES IS DIGGING IN THE
MISCONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY
PROCEDURES WITHIN SAPD IT’S
CALLED BROKEN BLUE WHAT OUR
INVESTIGATORS SPECIAL WILL AIR
THIS WEEKEND RIGHT HERE ON KSAT
12 DILLON COLLIER AND TIM
GERBER JOIN US IN THE STUDIO
FOR DEEP BRIEF. THANK YOU GUYS
FOR COMING IN SO EARLY THAT THE
US EU VERY OFTEN GET TO SEE YOU
A YEAH I GOT TO TELL US MORE
ABOUT WHAT THE SHOW’S ABOUT
WHAT KIND OF TOUCHED ON THE
SURFACE,
IT THERE.
>> AND WE’VE DONE A LOT OF
REPORTING ON THIS TIM WAS
SAYING AT LEAST THE PAST 5
YEARS UH I’VE DONE IT JUST AS
LONG. BUT WE NEVER REALLY PUT
IT ALL TOGETHER AND ASKED THE
QUESTION WHY DO A MAJORITY OF
OFFICERS ARE FIRED BY THE SAN
ANTONIO POLICE DEPARTMENT
END UP BACK WORKING FOR THAT
SAME FORCE WITHIN A FEW YEARS
AND THIS HOUR LONG SPECIAL I
THINK VIEWERS ONCE THEY WATCH
IT WILL GET A SENSE. I MEAN
WE’VE DONE A GOOD JOB OF
HIGHLIGHTING THESE CASES WHEN
OFFICERS GET IN TROUBLE AND
THERE INDEFINITELY SUSPENDED
WHICH BASICALLY MEANS THEY’VE
BEEN FIRED. HOW THEY GET THEIR
JOBS BACK WHAT IS THE PROCESS
AND WHAT ARE THE THINGS WITHIN
THE CONTRACT THAT ALLOWED THAT
TO HAPPEN THIS ISN’T JUST
RECENT STEPHANIE, THIS GOES
BACK YEARS, YES, THIS IS THE
CULMINATION OF A LOT OF
RESEARCH AND WORK AND I THINK
IF FOLKS HAVE LIVED IN SAN
ANTONIO FOR 7, 8, YEARS
OR LONGER.
>> THEY’LL RECOGNIZE ALL THESE
CASES WE GO AS FAR BACK AS
MICHAEL GARZA WHICH WAS A VERY
CONTROVERSIAL ON DUTY
POLICE SHOOTING THAT INVOLVED
THE DEATH OF ANOTHER PERSON AND
A PASSENGER IN
GARZA’S CAR. NEARLY DIED FROM
GUNSHOT WOUNDS AND
HIM GETTING HIS JOB BACK 3
YEARS LATER AND HE CONTINUES TO
WORK FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
THAT WAS REALLY WHAT STARTED US
HERE AT KSAT LOOKING AT THESE
CASES OF DISCIPLINE ISSUES
WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SO
5 YEARS AGO
WE DID A SERIES ABOUT
OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS
WHICH KIND OF GOT US TO TO LOOK
INTO THIS ISSUE. A
LITTLE DEEPER, SO AT LEAST 5
YEARS WORTH OF REPORTING IS
WRAPPED UP IN THIS GUY’S DOES
THIS JUST INVOLVE SAN ANTONIO.
WE LOOK NATIONWIDE. WE FOCUS ON
THE SAN ANTONIO POLICE
DEPARTMENT AND ASK WHY
SAPD MORE THAN ANY OTHER MAJOR
DEPARTMENT HAS SUCH A HIGH
PERCENTAGE OF OFFICERS BEING
REINSTATED, BUT
WE BRING IN SOME NATIONAL
STUDIES WE HAVE A MAJOR
INCIDENT THE AUSTIN POLICE
DEPARTMENT AND WE SORT OF TAKE
A BIG PICTURE LOOK AT IT ARE
THERE PROTECTIONS IN PLACE FOR
OFFICERS UNION PROTECTIONS THAT
ALLOW SOME
OF THESE FOLKS TO REMAIN ON
DEPARTMENT WHEN MAYBE THEY
SHOULDN’T BE ON THE DEPARTMENT
ANYMORE AND WHAT WE FOUND IS
THAT THIS IS NOT UNIQUE TO SAN
ANTONIO, OUR NUMBERS ARE HIGHER
FOR OFFICERS TO GET THEIR JOBS
BACK AFTER BEING FIRED. THEY GO
THROUGH THE ARBITRATION PROCESS
MORE OF THEM GET RETURNED
TO DUTY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO,
BUT ON A NATIONAL LEVEL THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT POLICE
DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
ARE DEALING WITH RIGHT SO FOR
BOTH OF YOU YOU START TELLING
WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL SURPRISE
THE VIEWERS MOST
IN EUROPE. WELL, I THINK YOU’RE
LOOKING AT SOME OF THE FOOTAGE
OF THE CASE RIGHT THERE OFFICER
MATTHEW LUCKHURST WHO GAVE IN
EXCREMENT PHIL SANDWICH LEFT
NEXT TO A HOMELESS PERSON.
A FEW YEARS AGO RIGHT HERE
DOWNTOWN. HE WAS ABLE TO WIN
BACK HIS JOB FOR THIS INCIDENT
RIGHT HERE ON A
SMALL TECHNICALITY THEY WERE
UNABLE TO PROVE WHEN
THE INCIDENT ITSELF HAD TAKEN
PLACE SO YOU HAD IN THE TOURNEY
HE WAS ABLE TO ARGUE THAT
THAT INCIDENT WAS OUTSIDE OF
THE WINDOW, THOUGH THEY WERE
ALLOWED TO DISCIPLINE HIM
WITHIN AND FOR THAT REASON AND
THAT REASON ALONE HE WAS ABLE
TO GAIN REINSTATEMENT.
I DON’T KNOW THAT THERE’S
ANYTHING PARTICULARLY SHOCKING
THAT LIKE WE SAID WE WE’VE SEEN
ALL OF THESE STORIES BEFORE
WE’VE HIGHLIGHTED THESE CASES
BUT TO SEE THEM
ALL TOGETHER. AND JUST THE
PROCESS AROUND IT AND HOW THEY
GET THEIR JOBS BACK I THINK
THAT WILL BE MOST EYE OPENING
TO THE VIEWERS, I MEAN IT’S
SHOCKING ANY TIME.
>> A POLICE OFFICER
DOES SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF THE
RULES OF THE ORGANIZATION OR IF
THEY BREAK THE LAW OR THEY
ABUSE THEIR POWER THAT
SHOCKING BUT YOU KNOW IT’S JUST
A INTERESTING LOOK AT THE WHOLE
ISSUE.
>> HOW THEY CAN GET AND THAT’S
KIND OF THE WHOLE REAL FOCUS ON
IT.
>> AND WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE
OFFICERS ONCE THEY GET THEIR
JOBS BACK SOME OF THEM DON’T GO
BACK OUT ON PATROL. THEY END UP
IN AN OFFICE SOMEWHERE.
>> ALL RIGHT SO THE COMBINATION
OF YOUR EFFORTS AIRS SUNDAY
NIGHT 9 O’CLOCK RIGHT HERE ON
KSAT JUST BEFORE
THE 90’S ON THE LINE AS WELL