HPD officers pulled to compile Safe Clear stats

06:28 PM CST on Wednesday, February 9, 2005

By Shern-Min Chow / 11 News

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Some Houston police officers have been taken off the streets to do clerical work that supposedly will help validate Houston's new controversial towing law.

It is the latest flap in the embattled Safe Clear program.

"It's not our job to act as props or pawns for these political programs," says Houston Police Patrolman's Union president Johnnie McFarland.

"Doing this strictly for a political programs, that is incorrect," says Martha Montalvo of the Houston Police Department. "Any new program that the department puts on we are interested in evaluating the effectiveness of the program."

At issue is the temporary reassignment of police officers over the next two weeks.

"We had officers taken from their assignments no mater what they were doing and they went up to wreckers division and they're pulling accident reports," says McFarland.

An officer who spoke to 11 News off camera said these officers were hand copying every accident report from 2004 after which civilian clerks were entering the data into a computer program. The focus, the officer says, is accidents involving stalled vehicles or those on the side of the freeway.

Some say it is in response to the death of a motorist who witnesses say crossed Interstate 10 in hopes of preventing a Safe Clear tow.

"That was a tragic incident, this is strictly a managerial decision that I made in conjunction with my chief," said Montalvo.

She admitted that some street officers were pulled on Tuesday for the project, but that only administrative officers will be used in the future. Tuesday, 14 officers were assigned to these duties, but Wednesday it was only seven. The number is expected to vary depending on availability.