New Dallas Program Would Put PD Under Watch Of DA
DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - As civil unrest continues to dog Ferguson, Missouri in the wake of a police-related shooting death, Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins said he's creating a special DA unit to probe police shootings in Dallas County as they are unfolding. He says the unit would run it's own investigation parallel to any other criminal reviews.
Watkins says the unit would help in their effort to regain trust in minority communities.
"We need to adhere to what the public wants and we need to regain public trust," Watkins told CBS 11 News.
Dallas police experienced two shooting deaths at the hands of officers in two days this week.
Just a day after the Ferguson killing Dallas police shot and killed an unarmed man who they say rushed an officer who was trying to keep from entering a passing stranger's van. One day later police killed a man armed with a knife who had allegedly slashed some family members.
While smaller cities may call in the sheriff's department or Texas Rangers for an independent probe, Dallas uses its own officers from the homicide department's Special Investigative Unit, or SIU.
Watkins claims minority communities don't trust the process. "If they don't believe in what the police officers are doing then you'll have the same issues you're seeing in Ferguson in Dallas County."
Watkins says he has the support of Dallas Police Chief David Brown and Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez. But the Dallas Police Association, the largest police labor group, argues SIU is a capable unit.
"We do not believe that a parallel investigation by the District Attorney is needed, or is an effective use of taxpayer money," a spokesperson with the association said, adding that SIU findings are also forwarded to the FBI for Justice Department review.
But Watkins claims the FBI is part of the problem. He said, "Traditionally, if you look at it, the FBI was part of the Dallas Police Department. They basically rubber-stamped some of the things they did as it relates to police officer shootings."
Watkins argues that no federal charges have been brought against a Dallas officer for decades. "I think the FBI is a great organization, unfortunately a lot of folks that go to the FBI come from law enforcement agencies locally, and they are more concerned with, basically, protecting themselves." He added, "This is nothing to say we're going against the police department or the FBI, this is just to say that we're going make sure justice is served."
Watkins' plan is met with guarded optimism from one victim's family. Collette Flanagan's son was killed in a police shooting last year. Officers were cleared, despite claims from Flanagan that her son suffered one gunshot in his back.
"If this is really happening, this is good, this is what's going to make Dallas safer and moving toward being a progressive city," she told CBS 11 News.
But in the wake of her son's death, Flanagan wants to wait and see if Watkins' process is more transparent than what she says she has seen from the Dallas Police Department.
"When we were trying to find out the investigative processes we were horrified to know that the DA doesn't even come to the crime scene. And they just basically sit back and let the police department investigate themselves."
One potential sticking point with Watkins plan: Dallas officers currently have 72 hours to prepare a statement of what they did if involved in a shooting. Despite Watkins saying the chief supports him, he said his units would push up against that police procedure. "Unfortunately I think in order for us to get to the truth it's less likely that we'll get to it if you have 72 hours to get your story together. As opposed to telling your story at that point."
Watkins claims the $200,000 needed for his 2-person unit is already in next year's budget and it'll begin work October First.
Next week, Watkins, Sheriff Valdez and Chief Brown will be at Town Hall Meeting to cover all community concerns. The meeting will be August 18 at St. Paul United Methodist Church in the Dallas Arts District. The Town Hall is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.