A press release Wednesday set out in detail the disciplinary actions taken by
Galveston Police Chief Charles Wiley, on officers involved in the so-called "H2O riot" at the San Luis Hotel and Convention Center.
The 'mainstream' media were quick to mention the fact that Houston Astros pitcher Brandon Backe was one of the 200 persons involved in this melee. We are puzzled why Backe is their center of attention. There was nothing exceptional or different in his involvement than the others, but his position as a baseball player apparently elevates his importance to a higher scale than anyone else.
It is expected that the action taken against these officers will result in both blame and acclaim. We can expect that at least one Galveston City Councilman is eagerly awaiting an opportunity to grill Wiley on the municipal TV channel. Wiley, of course, may elect not to respond so long as the officers envolved are in the process of appealing their suspensions, a right guaranteed them under state civil service law protection.
Readers of The Police News Online, responded to our Breaking News Report , and have expressed disappointment the officers are being disciplined at all. Here are some of their comments.
Remedial training related to documentation per departmental protocols and written reprimands, YES. Suspension, NO, not for an incident where there was no other wrong doing on the part of the officers that I've seen presented thus far. It seems the chief will be patrolling the city alone very soon and I highly doubt if he's up to the job. Let's give our men and women in blue some support when they need it. I lived in Galveston nine years and am considering moving back. If we have a police force with no one to support it, I may need to reconsider and watch Chief Wiley a lot more closely. Thank You, J.E. Robinson 77024
Suspensions for paperwork snafus? Written reprimands should suffice here. I think, according to the final investigation surrounding this incident, that the officers performed brilliantly and should at the least receive commendations. Personally, not enough people were arrested that night. Conrad Risch 77546
Nine officiers Suspended. I think this is a sad thing to have happen to our officers when they were doing their job. Dealing with all the extra people that had no bussiness getting involved with the officers arrest of the minor drinking and being beligerent. I know quite a few Galveston officers myself and I think this is a travisty of justice for the officers. Martin Smith 77550
I think it's a damn shame that officers should have to get in trouble trying to inforce the law at a situation like that..It;s a wonder more weren't arrested...I've been in a few situations where My partner and myself, have had people all around us, trying to stop us, and it's time like that that we feel we must protect ourselves, however may be necessary.. Perhaps, more uniform officers should have been there when it all started.. since no complaints were filed,drop it..and let the officers do their jobs, and know someone has their backs, for a change.... In the olden days, when officers only carried a slapstick, and a flashlight, and a good right or left fist, Scenes like this wouldn't have lasted but a few minutes, and someone would have havs his ass whipped, and handcuffed, and probably on the floor.. Oh, for the gold old days where officers were respected, by everyone, good and bad. Dan Doetterl 77060
On the officers punished for basically not following through with policies regarding reporting with the incident at the San Luis - Sometimes things happen so fast and are so over-whelming, it's difficult to remember every detail to account for every action taken or not taken. Obviously, the paper trail is the best way for anything to be accomplished. When Officer Sanderson called for assistance, other officers will automatically assume the worst is happening. As it seems, the crowd took too much control and the officers acted accordingly. Too many people think that Galveston has plenty of protection, but when you count the officers on the street doing patrol at any given time, the number is frightening because there are so few. This island is host to hundreds to thousands on a daily basis and the residents think they have plenty of police protection when they need it. They need to wake up. I thank officers as well as our military members everytime I see them because I know they work hard and receive very little thanks. Officer Sanderson did the correct thing to call for assistance because the odds of him becoming hurt were stacked against him from the start. Susie Martin 77551
Concerning the Galveston Officers suspended due to the drunk 19yr old at his sister's wedding. Why didn't someone stop the kid from drinking so much. Granted, 19yr old is going to do what he pretty well wants to do nowdays, but the blame should be on the parents. Alcohol is NEVER a good idea at any function when you can't control who get's their hands on it. How sad that a 19yr old kid can ruin his sister's wedding and cause such an uproar in the PD. It's not the PD's job to teach your child not to drink or do drugs or disrespect the law, but parents more and more don't care what their kids do. Look at school teachers, they have to deal with these punk, inconsiderate kids that have no manners and respect...I guess that old adage is true, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree". These kids learn their life's lesson from their parents. The Galveston PD was just doing their job. What were that 19yr old's parents doing while he was getting drunk?? So sad. Faye Leonhardt 77590
It's nice to see that people are appreciating the police for a change. Good going. As a wife of a 22 yr retired police officer and the mother and mother-in-law of 2 other police officers it is really wonderful to see. Paper work is not a real good reason to suspend them. The news is making it look like they did something wrong. I wish the press would get clued in! Alice Stevens 77573
Nine day suspensions for failing to do a little paperwork! Give me a break. These officers did what they had to do in an unruly and potentially dangerous situation. How many unpaid days off did the kid, his parents and the rest of the mob get? And that includes the "pitcher", who is no more than any other citizen and has no special treatment owed him. In fact, he isn't a very good pitcher either. Maybe that's why he is causing such a stink. As Forest Gump might have said, "stinky is as stinky does". The punishment of these officers does not fit the offense. It makes me wonder if the Chief feels pressure from the incoherent bully on the Council. I guess we will find out the next time our "Quanell T" gets his television moment. If the Chief caved in to pressure from outside his department; shame on him. If not, I think we need a better explanation of why such a severe penalty was imposed on a group of officers who were clearly doing what they had to do to serve and protect the people. That's my opinion and I'm sticking with it! Vern Maddox, Jamaica Beach, 77554
They wonder why the law enforcement profession is so under staffed. The real danger is not the criminal aspect, its the public ridicule and having your job in jeopardy after doing the job that they are sworn to do. I guess the top money makers and celebs are off limits in Galveston when it comes to law and order. Thank you to all GPD Officers. If you never hear it again, Good job. Thank you Andre. 77591
Riot at the San Luis. I hope they are suspended with pay. They sure don't get much thanks for the work they do in this town. This sounds to me like someone with a little buckage pressed the chief because their babys "Oh my goodness" had a rough night. Suddenly somone's looking for a little accountability? Look at home first people. I wasn't born yesterday and know as in any profession, there are bad cops and good cops and the major majority in Galveston are great. The news reports the police did everything seemingly by the book and nothing procedurally wrong during the incident, so the problem is??? Paperwork? Give me those notes boys - I'll type em up for ya. Oh my again. That's going to be another long drawn out, waste of time, city council meeting. Nana Ellison 77551
Would there have been such a big mess if the security guard on duty have just allowed the off duty officer to take his beer outside?? Oh, what a BIG CRIME that was. I know, rules are rules, but 'give me a break'! What do you do when loyalties are split inside the 'department'? I wouldn't punish any of the officers who responded to what must have sounded like a riot of sorts. They were ALL trying to do a job, keep the peace where alchohal is consumed. And sometimes, when someone feels a threat against them, an officer(s) is trained to use some force against alchohal based aggressive behavior. Maybe, the lack of 'detailed written reports' involved personal ethics or fear of internal retribution. My feed on the situation is to re-inforce note taking abilities without causing resentment by suspending good police officers who were trying to do their job. Elaine 77590
(Editor's Note) Elaine's letter may be interpreted that the police officer was drinking beer. That was not the case and has never been alleged.
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