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'Blue Wall of Silence' alive and well at Houston PD

There's a classic "Blue Wall of Silence" episode playing out at Houston PD after a officers beat up a 15-year old boy in front of several compatriots and all of them failed the report the incident until an employee of a nearby business came forward with video footage. The City is under fire for withholding the video for a year until it was presented as evidence at trial, which they had the legal right to do but which was not required by law. (Once it's entered into evidence, it becomes public.) Comments from a former police chief, now on the Houston city council, sum up the common, gut-wrenching reaction:"Having worn the uniform of the Houston Police Department for 24 years, I am thoroughly embarrassed by what I see on the tape," said Councilman C...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on February 10, 2011 (boomark / email).