“His conduct is totally unacceptable, a gross deviation from acceptable conduct of a mayor, and some of which may constitute crimes of moral turpitude,” Aaron Parker says in his letter.
Parker details five main complaints against Houston Mayor Roger Purcell:
|
|
“This action not only has contributed to bringing disgrace to the City of Houston but it has brought some embarrassment to the Houston Police Department,” he wrote. “This action would in other contexts be construed as impersonating a public servant.”
• That the mayor attempted to get clearance from the Transportation Safety Administration to bring a gun on commercial aircraft.
“I became very concerned both for the reputation of our agency as well as for both state and national security if a non-law enforcement officer were to illegally access aircraft while being armed,” Parker wrote.
• That the mayor used city employees working through a borough grant program to dispose of his freezer after it broke.
“The program is designed to assist communities in clean up and to remove abandoned appliances without having to pay the $35 disposal fee,” he wrote.
• That the mayor told council that grant money to hire a new officer would be forthcoming when the work hadn’t been put in to even apply for the grant, then blamed it on staff when the grant fell through, even though it was Purcell’s fault.
“The Mayor stated that he was upset that he felt that if anything was to get done in the office that he would have to do it himself,” Parker says in the letter.
• And, finally, that the mayor told Parker to report directly to the mayor instead of to his sergeant, then used this circumvention of the chain of command to initiate disciplinary action against Parker.
“Basically he set me up and lied about the circumstances of my conduct,” Parker wrote.
For his part, Purcell disputed every one of Parker’s claims.
“It says that I showed up there and (Trooper Capt. Dennis) Cassanovas kicked me out of the place. No, Cassanovas never did that. I go to that place on a regular basis and talk with those folks,” he said.
He said what did happen was that once, long before Parker started working for the department, Purcell went for a ridealong with troopers and wore his flack jacket, not a uniform. Purcell said he doesn’t do ridealongs anymore, even with his own department, because he gets attacked too much when he does.
“Anytime I even look at a car I get accused of doing police work,” he said.
As for the clearance to fly armed, Purcell said he wanted to sit in on the department’s training in order to better understand what resources the officers would need to get certified. He never wanted to fly commercial with a pistol himself.
“I would go to jail. I’m not stupid,” he said.
As for the freezer, Purcell said he did have one that broke, but that he gave it to a man who fixes them and the man still has it. There were two refrigerators taken from his property, but they had been abandoned there before he even bought the property. And he didn’t put in a request for the city to remove them until the city stopped getting requests for the program and there were still spots open.
“It’s a very sad day in society especially when you have an officer who’s just a police officer who decides to come after the mayor for picking up garbage and hauling things out of the brush so that kids can’t get trapped in them,” he said.
Purcell said that when he talked to the city council about the grant to hire a new officer he reasonably assumed that it was being taken care of and that when it fell through it was due to an oversight on the part of his staff.
Afterwards, he said, he sat down with staff. He wasn’t angry and didn’t yell at anybody. They just tried to make sure they had a plan to fix the problem.
“We need a way of making sure this sort of thing doesn’t happen again,” he said.
Purcell said that Parker’s claims that he was reprimanded for following the mayor’s orders are lies. He said he didn’t ask Parker to circumvent his sergeant and that the current investigation has to do with some other, much more serious allegations against Parker.
“I just put him on administrative duty until the investigation is done because if the allegations that other people are making are true, it’s serious,” he said.
Both Parker and Purcell agree that Parker considered putting in a bid to become police chief.
Purcell says that he turned Parker down. Parker didn’t fit the city’s criteria. He said that afterwards, Parker started coming after him.
Parker, on the other hand, says it’s Purcell that’s coming after him — for investigating the mayor’s malfeasance.
And both agree on one other thing — that there are bigger things to come.
Purcell said the investigation into Parker’s behavior is going to be eye-opening.
Parker says he handed over some more damning allegations to state attorneys.
“People need to understand it has a huge effect and in the end the public is not getting the services they need as result,” he said in an interview. “There are huge problems in Houston and they need to be solved.”
Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.
Comments
77 comment(s)jp wrote on Oct 1, 2009 10:37 AM:
Shop now and save $$$$$
Remember Halloween is coming, oh wait, we probably can't have Halloween, due to it's "religious implications" "
Veritas wrote on Sep 29, 2009 12:50 PM:
Houston Citizen wrote on Sep 29, 2009 9:17 AM:
Veritas wrote on Sep 28, 2009 5:26 PM:
Truth wrote on Sep 28, 2009 5:25 PM:
Houston Citizen wrote on Sep 28, 2009 12:55 PM:
money manager wrote on Sep 27, 2009 9:34 PM:
lawdoggs wrote on Sep 24, 2009 4:38 PM:
What do you want to know? "
lawdoggs wrote on Sep 24, 2009 4:36 PM:
Well just like the President of Iran said...
Wrong address....
Now do you understand???? "
cottonwood49 wrote on Sep 23, 2009 8:11 PM:
Concerned- wrote on Sep 23, 2009 11:36 AM:
Re Conflict wrote on Sep 23, 2009 11:29 AM:
Houston Resident wrote on Sep 21, 2009 7:55 PM:
kaylee wrote on Sep 21, 2009 6:44 AM:
lee wrote on Sep 20, 2009 7:40 PM:
Houston Resident wrote on Sep 20, 2009 5:09 PM:
Houston Resident wrote on Sep 20, 2009 12:50 PM:
Palmer Farm wrote on Sep 20, 2009 1:35 AM:
..then Jeb said that Cletus did this and that...
Who knows who to believe and after all that...WHO CARES? The whole thing is ridiculous! Call in somebody to clean up before the already-grossly embarrassing situation gets even more out of hand!! "
Confused wrote on Sep 19, 2009 6:06 PM:
lawdoggs wrote on Sep 18, 2009 5:33 PM:
washington.field@ic.fbi.gov
Tell them this is Houston and we have a problem...lol... "
lawdoggs wrote on Sep 18, 2009 5:17 PM:
If anyone has intel to pass on call them:
907-276-4441 ask for an Intake Officer!
Know for a fact that they REALLY apprectiate the calls...heheheheh...
So Mr. E the feds are coming!!!!!!! "
Wondering wrote on Sep 18, 2009 4:43 PM:
Get the Batmobile.. wrote on Sep 18, 2009 6:56 AM:
Guest wrote on Sep 17, 2009 9:27 PM:
nomind wrote on Sep 17, 2009 6:00 PM:
Houston Resident wrote on Sep 17, 2009 3:52 PM:
neighborhood watch wrote on Sep 17, 2009 2:40 PM:
WOW wrote on Sep 17, 2009 2:36 PM:
curious wrote on Sep 17, 2009 12:40 PM:
Houston Resident wrote on Sep 17, 2009 12:02 PM:
Both eyes open wrote on Sep 17, 2009 11:27 AM:
Logic or insane wrote on Sep 17, 2009 10:49 AM:
Houston Citizen wrote on Sep 17, 2009 9:48 AM:
curious wrote on Sep 17, 2009 9:38 AM:
Read between the lines wrote on Sep 17, 2009 8:00 AM:
Guest wrote on Sep 17, 2009 7:38 AM:
Hey Libs wrote on Sep 17, 2009 6:37 AM:
seriously wrote on Sep 16, 2009 9:21 PM:
Fed up resident wrote on Sep 16, 2009 7:09 PM:
Two Peas in a Pod wrote on Sep 16, 2009 6:37 PM:
Guywalters wrote on Sep 16, 2009 5:34 PM:
AS for you folks in Huston I wish the person in the right, if any, the very best. Guy "
Looses his mind wrote on Sep 16, 2009 4:44 PM:
The Man wrote on Sep 16, 2009 4:09 PM:
Houston Citizen wrote on Sep 16, 2009 1:35 PM:
very annoyed wrote on Sep 16, 2009 1:14 PM:
Concerned Tourist wrote on Sep 16, 2009 11:59 AM:
Houston Resident wrote on Sep 16, 2009 10:18 AM:
And I love his comment 'he didn't yell at anyone'. If you have ever been exposed to one of his screaming, ranting, foaming, red-faced tantrums you would see the humor in his comment. "
Houston Resident wrote on Sep 16, 2009 9:47 AM:
Houston Citizen wrote on Sep 16, 2009 9:11 AM:
Laura wrote on Sep 15, 2009 10:45 PM:
ValleyMessenger wrote on Sep 15, 2009 9:07 PM:
DailyPasserThrough wrote on Sep 15, 2009 6:00 PM:
Jeff Foxworthy wrote on Sep 15, 2009 5:23 PM:
Guest wrote on Sep 15, 2009 4:44 PM:
Typical wrote on Sep 15, 2009 4:44 PM:
JOKE wrote on Sep 15, 2009 4:41 PM:
Laughing wrote on Sep 15, 2009 3:33 PM:
Lisnup wrote on Sep 15, 2009 1:11 PM:
Guest wrote on Sep 15, 2009 12:41 PM:
Live here and sick of it wrote on Sep 15, 2009 12:29 PM:
concerned resident wrote on Sep 15, 2009 12:17 PM:
sweep the coucil wrote on Sep 15, 2009 11:52 AM:
Purcell is a tool and should be impeached or at least arrested for being a moron. What kind of guy puts cop lights on his BMW or wears a flack jacket on a ride along. Sounds like Purcell should look for a new job. "
The Man wrote on Sep 15, 2009 11:45 AM:
Not Suprised wrote on Sep 15, 2009 10:46 AM:
live here wrote on Sep 15, 2009 10:27 AM:
Houston Citizen wrote on Sep 15, 2009 9:39 AM:
E wrote on Sep 15, 2009 9:29 AM:
Watching Waiting wrote on Sep 15, 2009 9:21 AM:
Purcell's lies always sound good the first time around. He has fooled an amazing number of people.
His stories ALWAYS fall apart over time, however.
Purcell is a professional liar, plain and simple. His excuses to the Frontiersman already conflict with the officer's resignation letter, so stay tuned... "
Not Suprised wrote on Sep 15, 2009 9:19 AM:
khbalaska wrote on Sep 15, 2009 8:48 AM:
CONFLICT wrote on Sep 15, 2009 8:14 AM:
Ilovehouston wrote on Sep 15, 2009 8:09 AM:
Concerned wrote on Sep 15, 2009 7:48 AM:
in thew city wrote on Sep 15, 2009 7:31 AM:
Oops wrote on Sep 15, 2009 6:54 AM:
Conflict.... wrote on Sep 14, 2009 10:04 PM:
annoyed wrote on Sep 14, 2009 9:38 PM: