District Attorneys

In response to a query from Grits, Harris County DA Pat Lykos emailed me today with a little more detail on the idea she proposed at the House Corrections Committee hearing last month to create detox centers where police could take intoxicated people instead of jail. She writes:
Detoxification Centers:  
When a person is intoxicated in public, that individual is vulnerable and endangered and can be a danger to others; it is also a quality of life issue in our neighborhoods.  The offense is under 49.02 PC.  Currently, such individuals are subject to arrest and jail.  This consumes enormous resources in arresting, transporting, booking, jailing and releasing them.  Officer time out of service leaves our communities unprotected.  Leaving such person on the streets where they can come to harm often engenders ambulance calls and emergency room treatment.
 

After the Texas Tribune praised Judge Sharon Keller for grantmaking by the Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense while she was chair, yesterday I mentioned in reaction that "a little-discussed 2009 report from the state auditor lamented that the CCA 'lacks formal, written policies and procedures for awarding and administering grants.'"

In the comments, Charles Kuffner rightly noted the irony: "And of course, it was a lack of formal, written policies and procedures regarding last minute death penalty appeals that got Keller into official trouble in the first place. Funny how these things work, isn't it?" Indeed! If we're going to be giving CCA judges credit for grantmaking under their watch, they should also be held accountable for its more problematic aspects.

Instead of handing the constable corruption cases off to the Attorney General, Dallas District Attorney Craig Watkins yesterday assigned a special prosecutor to the case, Ted Lyons, who is a former Democratic state senator and reportedly a contributor to Watkins' campaign. (See the Dallas News coverage.) Further muddying the waters, though, the DA's office claimed without documentation or any specifics that there was a conspiracy to lie to accuse public officials of wrongdoing, including Watkins. They've primarily asked Lyons to investigate THAT, judging by comments from the DA's first assistant, treating as an afterthought allegations of kickbacks to constables first reported to the DA's office by the county auditor back in February 2008.

The County Auditor says Dallas DA Craig Watkins' office was told two years ago about alleged "unreceipted" payments from a towing company to Dallas County constables, reports the Dallas News ("Auditors office says it can prove Dallas DA's office got towing memo in 2008," May 26):
The Dallas County auditor's office said Tuesday it has proof that a memo outlining criminal allegations against Constable Jaime Cortes' precinct was hand-delivered to District Attorney Craig Watkins' office in February 2008.

Watkins, responding to criticism that he has been slow in reacting to corruption charges against constables, denied Monday that he or his office knew in 2008 about the allegations of kickbacks to Cortes' office from the Dowdy Ferry towing company.