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September 5, 2013

Houston Police Cleared of Wrongdoing in Hundreds of Shootings 
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A new investigative report is raising questions about accountability for
alleged abuses and unlawful shootings by the Houston police. According
to the Texas Observer, investigators have ruled that Houston officers
were justified every single time in 550 incidents involving the shooting
of a citizen or animal between 2007 and 2012. One of the slain victims
was a wheelchair-bound man accused of attacking officers with a pen. Of
706 excessive force complaints, just 15 officers were disciplined. The
Texas Observer concludes: "The message is clear: Either Houston police
almost never abuse their power, or they abuse it with impunity."

 

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