Police update report
By JIMMY GALVAN

Three Jasper Police reports took center stage during the December regular meeting of Jasper’s city council Monday.

Council approved a revised 2005 racial profiling report after Police Chief Todd Hunter indicated the three previous reports were “not done properly.”

“The three previous reports that were done by the city of Jasper were not done properly,” Hunter said. “Through my audit this year, I found out we were using tier one and tier two data.”

Jasper’s police department is required to only comply with Tier 1 data.

“You are supposed to use one or the other and we were not as detailed as we should have been in our reports,” Hunter said.

As a result, Hunter contacted Del Carmen Consulting, LLC to complete the department’s audit and he submitted a copy of the audit to council members.

“It is the same data – there are no differences in the data,” Hunter said.

Hunter said one concern of his in the fact that Jasper PD receives numerous open records requests from different human rights coalitions.

“The frightening thing about this is that some of these coalitions have sued some of the cities,” Hunter said. “I am very concerned that we need to complete this report and have it in a nice, neat package with no question of bias in the report. Dr. Del Carmen is renowned across the state of Texas for doing these reports and once these coalitions see his name, they will pass us by.”

Council approved using Del Carmen Consulting to annually prepare the racial profiling report for the department at a cost of $1,500.

Council also approved to fill a police officer position being vacated by Officer Gerald Hudson, who is a Navy reservist and is being deployed to Iraq Dec. 19. Council member Gloria Monzingo requested that the approval be made for a

yearly contract since Hudson is expected to return after a year of service in Iraq.

It was also reported in the department reports, that employees of the police department purchased a tree on the courthouse square and decorated it as a tribute to Hudson and his family. Hudson’s last day of employment will be Dec. 19 and a yellow ribbon will be tied to the station’s flagpole and will remain there until his return.

Council also approved a resolution to apply for the Byrne Grant program, which is associated with narcotics enforcement. Hunter informed council members that the grant money would be used to purchase a drug interdiction vehicle. According to Hunter, the grant allowed for the vehicle to be purchased and fully equipped with no match from the city of Jasper.

Hunter said the total amount of the fullyequipped vehicle would be $42,983.

In other action, council approved a demolition order on a structure at 1230 Hopkins Drive. The demolition order for this home was on last month’s agenda but the city and a homeowner agreed upon a 30-day waiver. When certain requirements were not met recently, the home was put up for demolition again.

Council also approved an ordinance, which would limit all commercial vehicles or truck traffic having more than 10,000 pounds to U.S. Highway 96, U.S. Highway 190 and State Highway 63 in Jasper’s city limits.

Commercial vehicles are allowed to on city streets while loading and unloading at businesses. Penalties for violating this ordinance will be a fine not to exceed $200.