BILL INSPIRED BY TULIA DRUG BUST WOULD ALLOW ACCESS TO REPORTS ON SUSPECT
OFFICERS

AUSTIN -- Letters that describe officers' substantiated criminal conduct to
the agency charged to "police the police" would be made public under a
measure being considered in a Senate committee.

Senate Bill 1583, sponsored by Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio,
would make certain correspondence to the Texas Commission on Law
Enforcement Officer Standards and Education regarding the termination of a
law enforcement officer open to public inspection.

The measure is one of three Tulia Proposals -- legislation drafted by the
Texas chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People in response to a
controversial 1999 drug bust in Tulia.

Of those arrested, most were black and received lengthy prison terms based
on the word of undercover agent Tom Coleman, whose reputation has been
tarnished with the appearance of a letter to the agency from his previous
employer in Cochran County.

In the letter, the Cochran County officials said Coleman shouldn't work in
law enforcement again, based on allegations of theft and other criminal
conduct, according to Will Harrell, Texas ACLU executive director.

"If that sheriff (Swisher County Sheriff Larry Stewart) had access to that
information, 43 innocent people wouldn't be in jail, and we wouldn't be
taking him to court," Harrell said.

The ACLU is suing the sheriff and district attorney in Swisher County for
negligent hiring, among other issues.

"We think future law enforcement agencies need to be able to police the
police," he said.

The measure was left pending by the committee, but Harrell said he is
optimistic about its chances to be passed.

The same measure hasn't yet been heard by a House committee.

The remaining two bills, which would require corroborating evidence for an
undercover agent's testimony and would restrict a judge's ability to
exclude evidence, are pending in both the House and Senate.