W.C. Pool |
(1954) A large haul of heroin had been recovered.
The three officers who brought it in were told by Captain Foy Melton that he
was taking possession of the dope because it was part of a much larger
narcotics investigation. The officers became suspicious that there was no such
investigation and that the heroin seizure was not going to be reported. They
decided to tell fellow officer W.C. Pool about the case.
There’s a belief among those critical of law
enforcement that a Blue Code
of Silence exists among
officers, meaning that there is an unwritten rule that officers will not report
on another officer’s errors, misconduct, or crimes. While this may be true
regarding errors and minor misconduct, there is abundant evidence that officers
often come forward to report the criminal acts of fellow law enforcement
officers.
Joe Clark |
Such was the case regarding the missing dope. At least two
Houston officers reported their suspicions to the Harris County District
Attorney. W.C. Pool was first. The D.A. told him to forget about the dope and if he couldn’t forget, he
should look for another job. Soon after, Captain Joe Clark also took the case
to the D.A. Clark reported that dope dealer Earl Voice told him officers were
selling the heroin they had confiscated previously. The D.A. said there was not
enough evidence and did nothing. Later, when questioned by reporters as to why
he went to the D.A. instead of his superiors in the Department, Clark said he
thought his superiors might have been involved in the criminal activity, all
the way to the Chief.
George White |
But Officer Pool refused to take the advice given him
by the D.A. Instead he contacted a federal agent he was acquainted with in
Houston. It wasn’t long before an investigation began, headed by Federal Bureau
of Narcotics supervisor George White. He came with solid credentials. He had
been the chief investigator for the Kefaufer Committee on Crime in America.
White did not initially inform Houston’s police chief of the investigation. He
was to become a controversial figure in the matter. It wasn't long before
Police Chief Morrison and City Attorney Will Sears demanded of the Feds that he
be removed from the investigation. In addition to other complaints, they
alleged that he was responsible for Billnitzer's death because he
"browbeat" him during questioning. White called the charges
ridiculous and stayed on the case, suggesting that the pressure was getting to
Morrison.
J.O. Brannon |
Though I've found no evidence that ties this incident
to Brannon's testimony, the newspaper story about his car being vandalized
garnered the attention of news outlets throughout Texas and was published as an
AP story in several other cities. This might suggest that reporters knew what
was behind the vandalism, but couldn't get confirmation to put it in
print.
I've interviewed officers who knew J.O. Brannon. Some recall talk of him having been blackballed by fellow officers at one time during his career. His name was on the list of officers subpoenaed to appear at the federal gran jury and it is quite likely that he too gave testimony against the crooked cops.
This string of stories began because of the shooting
death of Officer M.A. Billnitzer. My next blog story is about Sidney
Smith, the only officer involved in the scandal to go to jail, and Captain Foy
Melton. The Captain was fired, charged with taking the heroin, put on trial
twice, not convicted, and got his job back. Melton was later fired on another
corruption charge, but remained in law enforcement until his death by suicide
several years later. I will conclude this series with two or three stories
about Officer Billnitzer, who may have been killed in the line-of-duty when he
decided to talk to the Feds.
Coming later this year, my fictional account of the
events surrounding Detective Billnitzer's death, in my book, Dishonored and Forgotten.
Fascinating case!
ReplyDeleteJuicy stuff, fitting enough for a book and a movie.
ReplyDelete