CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — After firing their former police chief and later charging him with nine counts of tampering with evidence, Mathis city leaders said they want to make immediate changes for the better.
“That’s where sometimes it falls through the cracks because some agencies it might be 5 to 6 years before they look at their policy again,” Mathis City Manager Cedric Davis said.
According to Davis, the Chief of Police is the person who is responsible for implementing the policies and officer guidelines, though clearly that was not case with the former Mathis police chief.
“Chief Roush was in charge of the review process and the policies and procedures which is standard for a police chief to revamp,” Davis said.
As KRIS 6 News previously reported, Roush was accused oftampering with evidence in 9 drug cases.The arrest affidavit also revealed a plate that contained a white powdery substance in lines and a straw was found in his bedroom.
Davis said there is state mandated training through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, or TCOLE, to make sure officers are up to the task.
“You put in an hour with a psychiatrist, and you get evaluated and that is a requirement through TCOLE,” Davis said.
While every officer is certified by TCOLE, it came to Davis’ attention that the last time policies were reviewed was two years ago.
“What is the expectant behavior of an officer. What information should you give a citizen if they ask for it. Things like that is basic 101 but it needs to be in a policy. If an officer needs to review those policies, they have guidelines to follow,” Davis said.
Starting anew, Davis and other city officials are already discussing a city wide policy update including the police departments code of conduct.
“What we’re working on is going through each policy, updating it, revamping it and strengthening it and in June or July we’ll take a final product to our city council,” Davis said.
As for the police department’s current leadership, Guillermo Figueroa is the interim police chief. He told KRIS 6 News that he hopes to become the permanent police chief.
