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BUSTAMANTE
BLACK BASS SUBDIVISION
Suspects sought for stealing ranch equipment
Locals’ help needed in burglary case
Gas tanks, cutting torch and toolbox were stolen
Computer equipment missing
By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S
Authorities need help from the community in finding the people responsible for a burglary that occurred at a ranch, the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office said Monday. On June 11, a burglary was
By César G. Rodriguez
reported at Los Dos Leonardos Ranch located in Bustamante. A complainant stated that someone broke into the storage trailer and stole oxygen and acetylene tanks with 100 feet of hose and a cutting torch. The complainant also stated Ranch continues on A11
THE ZAPATA TIME S
The Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office needs the community’s assistance to solve a burglary that occurred in the Black Bass Subdivision, authorities said Mon-
day. On Sept. 12, deputies responded to the 100 block of Illinois Street. The complainant reported that two COMPAQ computer hard drives and a Peavey speaker were taken from the residence. People with in-
formation on the case are asked to call the Sheriff ’s Office at 956-765-9960 or Zapata Crime Stoppers at 765-TIPS (8477). Calls made through Crime Stoppers leading to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward. Callers may remain anonymous.
Courtesy
Shown is the speaker allegedly stolen during the burglary.
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
EX-COP PICKED FOR RACIAL PROFILING ANALYSIS
Robert McLeroy / Special to the Express-News
This 2009 photo shows several organizations protest alleged activities of the Balcones Heights Police Department that include "local law enforcement terrorizing and racial profiling...and acting as immigration agents."
Karen L. Shaw / San Antonio Express-News
Cinnomin Brothers, 15, of Houston, speaks out in Travis Park in San Antonio on April 5, 2002, during a rally against racial profiling and police brutality.
Study: Minority drivers are searched twice as often as white drivers By Sean Collins Walsh COX N EWSPAPE RS
AUSTIN, Texas — Following reports showing that state troopers search black and Latino drivers at higher rates than Anglos, the Texas Department of Public Safety last year promised a broad examination of racial profiling issues and committed to hiring an outside consultant to review its data on traffic stops. That review, however, is being conducted by an expert handpicked by top DPS officials, who altered the hiring process and avoided a competitive bid, according to internal agency emails obtained by the Austin AmericanStatesman through a public records request. DPS Deputy Director Robert “Duke” Bodisch suggested hiring Eric Fritsch,
who chairs the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of North Texas, in an August 2016 email that included a bio saying Fritsch is a “former police officer and has worked extensively with law enforcement agencies for the past 20 years.” “Dr. Fritsch seems to have the credentials, background and experience necessary to conduct an objective review of our data,” Bodisch wrote to David Baker, another DPS deputy director. “Since he is with a state university we should be able to enter into an inter-agency contract instead of a long drawn out solicitation and procurement. Just a thought.” “Sounds promising. We’ll look into it,” Baker replied. DPS has never disciplined an officer for racial profiling. The agency’s commitment to more fully examine racial
profiling issues was prompted in large part by the research of Frank Baumgartner, a University of North Carolina professor who analyzed DPS data and found wide disparities in how often troopers search motorists of different racial groups. Baumgartner worked with the American-Statesman on an investigation last year that found that 35 percent of Texas’ more than 1,100 state troopers search minority drivers at least twice as often as they do white drivers. “We’re going to commission someone to look at the data in more detail,” DPS Director Steve McCraw said after being questioned by state lawmakers about Baumgartner’s findings. “And when I say in more detail, it means all minorities, it means all demographics across the state, and it includes gender. We
want to make sure we look at all of it to see if there’s any disparities and address it.” Baumgartner said he’s unfamiliar with Fritsch’s work but is sometimes skeptical of research commissioned by police agencies. “There is a community of consultants who are interested in protecting the reputations of police departments,” Baumgartner said. “You can really tell what the incentive is if you want to keep the contracts coming.” Baumgartner said he does not work for the agencies he studies. “There’s no financial relationship whatsoever with anyone involved in my research, and I think that’s the definition of independence,” he said. Fritsch, who did not respond to an Ex-cop continues on A11
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Immigration hard-liners want Donald Trump’s hand on program By James Barragan TH E DALLAS MORNI NG NEWS
AUSTIN, Texas — As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump promised to "immediately terminate" two Obamaera immigration programs that granted temporary deportation relief to immigrants who were in the country illegally, saying
they "defied federal law and the Constitution." Last month, Trump did away with one of those programs: Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, or DAPA, which granted a two-year protection from deportation to unauthorized immigrants who were parents of U.S. citizens or lawful residents.
But former President Barack Obama’s original 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, which shields unauthorized immigrants who came to the country as children and gives them work permits, remains intact. That’s to the chagrin of many of Trump’s most fervent supporters, who have criticized
the president for waffling on the issue. "We are upset that it has remained. This was very clearly a pledge," said Dave Ray, communications director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates for a reduction in immigration. "This was the crown jewel of illegal executive
orders - amnesty for illegal aliens. It doesn’t get any more blatant than that." Last week, a 10-state coalition led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions threatening to sue the federal government over DACA if Trump does not rescind it by DACA continues on A11