dallas county

Police, defendants, social media and internet privacy

Scott Henson
March 02, 2012 22:02

The Dallas News had an interesting item this week behind the paywall about police officers getting into trouble for outing misconduct or criticizing one another via social media and online message boards. The story opened:The online message board postings read, at times, like a typical teenager...

Dallas judges cut breaks for bail bondsmen when clients fail to appear in court

Scott Henson
October 04, 2011 16:57

The Dallas News on Sunday published an well-researched report on judges who don't make bail bond companies pay when their clients fail to appear in court, an issue which I'm coming to realize also arises in many other Texas jurisdictions. The story by Kevin Krause and Ed Timms ("Dallas County...

Medical examiners' work may be "void" for failure to file constitutional oaths, bribery statements

Scott Henson
September 12, 2011 17:55

A controversy over the credentials of medical examiners raised by researcher David Fisher has counties around the state checking to see if their medical examiners have executed a written oath of office and a bribery statement, which seemingly most have failed to do. Reported KCBD-TV in Lubbock:A...

Political connections keep bail bondsmen from paying full freight

Scott Henson
August 17, 2011 11:28

An editorial in the Dallas News criticizes county officials for failing to collect fees and interest from local bail bondsmen (an issue also recently exposed in Houston). The story opens:Dallas County government is the gang that can’t shoot straight when it comes to bond forfeitures.The county has...

New Dallas prosecutor slots tied to jail population reductions

Scott Henson
August 10, 2011 11:54

In Dallas, District Attorney Craig Watkins has been bellyaching nearly since he took office that he needed more prosecutors, even when other county government functions faced severe budget cuts. Now that the 2012 election has past and Watkins' most outspoken critic  has left the county judge's...