Coffee City, Texas police chief fired, department temporarily disbanded after KHOU 11 investigation

KHOU 11's Jeremy Rogalski got a tip about the Coffee City Police Department. Here's what it led to.

[@davidserrano4716]

What really needs to happen is AMERICA needs a National Registry for Bad Officers fired for dishonourable service. So they can never apply at another Agency to continue their abuse. Time to hold these thugs with badges ACCOUNTABLE.

[@zyguit]

Yea those bad eggs somehow tend to fall back into the container don't they ...

[@DanOKC]

End Immunity at all levels of government and One Set of Law for All.

[@OddWoz]

Definitely. It’s just too much common sense though.

[@badomen59badlands64]

They tried to establish a database like the one you're talking about. It got buried in the House, or the senate.

[@kmbrly101]

I agree 100%. Law enforcement is one of the three top careers that domestic abusers go into. That means there are too many who are there for the power of it. We need to have a registry to keep track of them all.

[@davidowens1424]

This is why investigative journalism is so critically important.

[@terhgasabeha9552]

That's the reason George Santa got elected.

[@yournamehere4790]

Exactly. The killing of American journalism of the mid 2000s and on has had far reaching impacts and one of them is accountability of public officials. The killing of American journalism was a watershed moment in history. It arose from corporations buying newspapers, news stations, and such. They targeted and dismantled investigative journalism and any other apparatus that was holding them accountable.

[@pamsing3012]

That why that was stopped a long time ago. Money talks and reporters listen or loose jobs. Can't imagine how this happened. Somebody slipped

[@tringuyen7519]

@@pamsing3012Someone slipped up? Like the Mayor of Coffee City who hired this guy & defended him for years? $1 million in city tax revenues is enough to look the other way!

[@jackburton7062]

​@@terhgasabeha9552you misspelled Brandon Biden.

[@craighellberg4366]

No way the city council and the mayor did not know that this was going on. They should all be removed as well.

[@Geoffreydarcy-pv4mq]

The officers in that department didn't fund themselves. follow the money.

[@jalenwhite6820]

I'm from the area Tyler I didn't even know they had a town hall I thought it was a community

[@MrSchwach]

Over a million dollars in traffic fines in one year, in a town that small. Yeah, they knew something was going on. Right now, they are trying to cover their own butts. I agree, remove them to.

[@thequixoticangler3364]

Money printer goes Brrrrrr. A million dollars a year. It was a "printing press" PD. The town absolutely knew it was happening. The money made questions stop. It's frightening to think what could've happened. They could've literally taken that entire town hostage if they felt the need. khou just saved 250 people in all likelihood.

[@dionroberson6772]

Wow

[@nonya8966]

Wow! An actual REAL not FAKE news chanell with REAL investigatory journalist.

[@TiNRiB]

The only thing that makes it real, is the truth. That is why you have the first amendment.

[@Mark-gg6iy]

The "wow" here is that you may have paid attention.

[@UnKlePennybagz]

Imagine being arrested by a police officer, who themselves has an active warrant.

[@Nikkinoonie]

That’s scary , you are so CORRECT ‼️

[@RasheedGazzi-u5l]

That's fkd up. I once had a landlord who was on crack. That was one of the most bizarre two years of my life.

[@stephaniemanchester-chermo3840]

⁠@@RasheedGazzi-u5l. Big difference between a landlord and a police officer. 😂 You’d fit right in over at the Coffee City police station! 😅

[@carissab397]

@@stephaniemanchester-chermo3840they’re both not real jobs

[@drjonesey5]

I mean, that sounds fe'd up but until they are arrested themselves they still have to do their job right? So like if they have an Active warrant are they not suppose to chase down the guy that just robbed you if you ask them for assistance and it happens to be a a-hole cop? Many bad cops actually do parts of their job, they're just bad and we don't know until they're exposed, then there are a-hole cops whom are just all around bad and don't do their job at all. Your parents or guardians were hypocrites at times raising you, did you say "uh uh guys, you guys lied before, no punishment for me alright, better luck next incident".

[@TaylorShockey]

This is EXACTLY why a free press is so important: it holds those in power accountable to the public.

[@thetruthisoutthere8598]

They should investigate our government .

[@letsomethingshine]

They should investigate Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN. Oh wait. A free press is certainly not free, it is own by oligarchs. A truly free press would be a mix that includes a REAL public press accountable to voting citizens directly, and any private press a rich person wants to buy for parasitism off of consumer-types.

[@Ojja78]

And why certain people are constantly telling you not to believe anything the media says.

[@Ojja78]

@@thetruthisoutthere8598 They just did. Are you watching this video? That's what this is.

[@thetruthisoutthere8598]

@@Ojja78 sorry, I was meaning federal but didn't put that in there

[@imoseetruth1980]

Never thought I’d see the day an entire department was dismantled due to alleged corruption. Sets a great and new precedent. Great job.

[@jimmiehouse7736]

this was not a police department ,this was a hide out for criminal with long rap sheets, bobbing the tac payer

[@temporarybackup5077]

Theatrics

[@Lorkenzo-llama]

The days of the "good ol boys" network are coming to an end.

[@carissab397]

@@jimmiehouse7736that’s what a police department is

[@X3AmySarah]

Same thing should have happened with Uvalde

[@rogeh5687]

Local journalism isn’t a huge money maker but it deserves to be propped up when you get results like these. We can never let it die. Great investigation.

[@americalivent711]

This is a perfect example of why good journalists are so important. Excellent job.

[@CatherineSTodd]

Best comment yet!

[@LoneVocalist]

They police the police

[@freedomforall236]

I sent this to The RCMP in 🇨🇦

[@paalexsamaklyne1040]

Journalists too take bribes. The power of money from the devil's that very few people can resist. Puji Tuhan! Praise God 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@rayabercrombie6239]

​@@paalexsamaklyne1040you said god.. Lol. Santa Claus is great too then!? Smh... How can an adult be so dumb to believe in something sooo impossible n makes zero sense!? Victims...

[@mie73]

This reporter should be nominated for a journalism award. Actual journalism that resulted in actual civic change?? That is unheard of these days. Bravo!!

[@timebot000]

Just like OMGs James O'Keefe!😊

[@willreasoner4472]

In what way is this not a gang.. they’re going around shaking down people for money and paying themselves enormous salaries.. how is this not a gang

[@chedahmob6636]

@@willreasoner4472who said it wasn’t what are you talking about who are you even talking to weirdo

[@rustyshackleford6637]

​@@willreasoner4472the cop needs to get cheese jammed through his nostrils

[@Meg-my3un]

100%!

[@GhostDrummer]

The mayor and city council needs to be investigated too. The PD was bringing in $1M+ in ticket revenue. There’s no way the mayor and counsel didn’t know what was going on. And now that the PD was shut down, the mayor is claiming there’s no need to investigate further.

[@kandykane3552]

That's what i said as i was watching this. He knew they all knew.

[@burakoshimazaki]

That's at least 4,000 usd a year per person in fines. How is that affordable? Or is that from other towns/jobs?

[@duchess56me-tf7fx]

They definitely need to investigate further.

[@madsdee7803]

I agree with you. Especially when someone in the force filed a complaint with the council about him and they told them to shut up pretty much. They all need to be stood down since they were profiting from that.

[@braxtonkapels2241]

@@burakoshimazakidefinitely people just passing through. 5 miles over the speed limit? Fine

[@kevinmaurer-y9y]

thank you, jeremy and KHOU for doing actual investigative journalism. this is much too rare and must be applauded.

[@croach2194]

How on earth would they pay 50 officers from the taxes of 250 people. This is the kind of investigative reporting we all need. Congrats KHOU 11.

[@gNome_5]

Did you miss the part where they were writing over a million dollars in tickets in just one year? That's not even including tax money and other streams of revenue that they undoubtedly have. Hell, if the city is already this corrupt, the odds that they have unethical and even illegal streams of revenue coming in are pretty high. It's disturbing and despicable, to say the least! Not to mention, it's also one of the reasons many of those officers were moonlighting by doing other odd jobs outside of their main law enforcement duties. They weren't all full-time law enforcement officers. Welcome to the U.S.A., though, right? 🇺🇲

[@napoleonbonerfart278]

​@@gNome_5they probably had huge swat team toys to cruise around in too.

[@gNome_5]

@@napoleonbonerfart278 No doubt! 🙄

[@jvcyt298]

@@gNome_5; The thing with the tickets is what I like to call a self-perpetuating money-making scheme. You see that a lot with toll roads and border crossings. They keep taking money, but they never maintain the infrastructure.

[@abnmp7865]

Most weren’t paid by the city. This was a front for security in Houston. I’m sure the Chief was paid to make sure there was security there.

[@moltenmetal5645]

I find it hard to believe the mayor and city counsel had no idea they had a 50 person police force and what was going on in the department. It's a real small town, in a small town EVERYONE knows everything going on. I have lived in tiny towns my entire life and it's always the case.

[@davyboy9397]

Yep, mayor and city council are in on it. Probably embezzling money from it too. Time to clean house

[@shawnr771]

The city council is probably mad they were not getting a cut of the money.

[@dand3975]

I wonder if the Mayor is former Law enforcement Officer with a "disabled" L.E.O. retirement paycheck & collecting Social security disability benefits also....

[@TheCharleseye]

​@@shawnr771It's pretty funny that you think the city council wasn't getting a cut. They chose the police chief and were aware of all of his hirings, as well as their activity. This was a top-down case of corruption. The mayor and the city council are letting the chief take the fall, hoping that nobody uncovers their part in all of this.

[@afrokorean]

I was having the same thoughts.

[@ettazay5088]

This is why local news needs more support. Local news is vital to the communities they serve.

[@seanswinton6242]

True, but the problem is local news (television, radio, and newspapers) are underfunded or owned by political leaning entities. Sinclair Broadcasting is a right wing company that owns probably the most. They broadcast shows by Ted Cruz, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and others. We saw the numbers of bad officers from January 6 and hear bad stories all of the time. Their union needs to go as well as qualified immunity. That's what allows bad cops to relocate and continue bad behavior. Thank God for RIng cameras and cell phones, but we've all seen crimes by cops and politicians still go unpunished. Bad cops must be locked up and banned period!

[@loiscurry1020]

Not in South Carolina,dirty cops and judges, prosecutors,we are at the mercy of these POS.

[@drjonesey5]

Local tend to be less bias and foolish than National or main stream big ones because they aren't elitist-like reporters or more directly in contact with the top of the news folk whom have narratives. Local news sometimes go rouge too lol we have the stories of news reporters revealing stuff locally on the day they quit and air it. If we're being honest, KZbinrs are filling the gap of what Journalist use to be to society. Not random KZbinrs, but dedicated ones that research and tell us the news unfiltered regardless of politics.

[@thatsme47]

ONLY WHEN THEY SPEW THE TRUTH.

[@angelesmeza425]

Local media is to blame for a lot of the misinformation in big cities & inflate stories that create division. The Media is very biased people don’t be fooled Looks like this newscast had a lot of time & they did a great job but very few do that nowadays!! They drive a liberal leftist agenda aka wokeness & that right there is very scary when common sense is seen as insane!! I'm just saying 😂

[@NPCHSN]

It’s so nice to see journalism return to our country. Thank you.

[@steelydan146]

Incompetent & unprofessional law enforcement are as much a danger to the community as any common felonious thug!

[@loridean177]

True, this is how you get fabricated stories, crime scene tampering, drugs planted on suspects etc. with an end result of wrongful conviction and the person spending over 20yrs. in prison. Many cases need to be looked at with fresh eyes. Why should an innocent person languish in jail b/c of corrupt cops? I sure wouldn't want to. Plus it sounds like the u were handing out tickets and fines like tickets tacs😆

[@southerncross86]

Thesewere not just u professional, they were a legalized maffia

[@Phlowermom]

I think they're more dangerous. They can operate 'under color of authority', at least bad guys are aware of being busted by the cops. Who are cops afraid of?

[@triamaria]

​@@loridean177​It gets way worse, they need to investigate the Maui Police Chief and his officers who blocked people trying to flee the Lahaina fire!! investigate the Maui Police Chief and his officers who blocked people trying to flee the Lahaina fire!!

[@eriggle83]

More so. They have immunity.

[@DonariaRegia]

They hired a Florida fugitive. What ever happened to background checks? We civilians undergo them regularly before a hire. Excellent journalism KHOU! The residents of Coffee City can live a little easier now.

[@madhatter9001]

Not for Cops though, they are part of the machine that keeps you enslaved to the matrix.

[@mordakie3805]

It’s Texas

[@JAM661]

Still the fact he was arrested in FL should still show up when they do a background check. It sound like someone really dropped the ball and half their brains, because that arrest still should have showed up. He probably talked himself out it with his everyone deserve a second chance bs as his patrol officer arrested people because they cannot passed that road side sobriety test. What cops do not tell you the longer they have you do that eye thing, you eye tire and then start to spasm and twitch, which means you now failed. Have a weak leg that shake, you fail. You have knee surgery, have poor balance you fail. Basically 70% of sober people cannot pass the test, which is hugely subjective. You have blood shot eyes mean you must of used pot. In a state that pot is illegal and you used 7 days ago and a trace shows up you go to jail even though it maybe legal where you took week before. However the ability to effect your driving has long passed.. Pot stays in the fats cell for a real long time and take much longer to clear for a urine test then a blood test. Basically it take nothing for a cop to arrested you for a DUI. I saw one man who blew 0.0 and did a lot better then I ever would on a roadside test and the cop arrested him anyway. Meanwhile if you are asked to do one road side sobriety test have every medical problem like had concussion, hip surgery, knee issue, balance problem, tell them every problem you ever had. Also them because of ortho and other medical problem have, you want a test for someone who is disabled. This is a much easier test because it is more of counting backwards and touching your thumb with you finger thing. Also if they do that eye test for 30 second say out loud while you cops does this " you know when the eyes tire by being in this stress position like this test does it actually cause spasm movement in the eyes" . Now you just put tons of doubt in the whole process.

[@RoCK3rAD]

Cops are civilians

[@nowherecam2592]

This reporting should be winning an Edward R. Murrow award. It is an example of real, unbiased journalism that makes a difference.

[@__Tazzzo]

100%

[@AnnieAint]

I agree ☝🏼

[@markgray6982]

National Holiday,,,the MSM did something Good and Didnt Lie,,,,,,,First time since 1871

[@bigmo10]

Word

[@paddyholly2184]

Typical Texas town where the citizen's are held hostage.

[@romuluslives2707]

I grew up in a small town of about 500, and we had 1 full time and 1 part-time cop. This place had 50 plus corrupt cops. Smh, good journalism at work

[@chrisv.noire.6388]

I'm so happy to see investigative journalism is still alive in some sectors with no fear nor favor.

[@Doc_-_Savage_1]

TO be fair, there is a Houston link here, and an interdepartmental squabble. Why should Houston help out these shitbird pigs, and the shitbird pigs ran their mouths a little too much. I'm fairly certain the 'tips' came from the district of the slighted Constable, who is himself a shitbird pig.

[@tycamtyson]

I love that post❤

[@pollymcdonald7368]

That’s because it wasn’t Harris County. Come on.

[@TheRedStateBlue]

Every journalist in America wants to do stories just like this. Blame corporate owned media.

[@Coffeepanda294]

For real.

[@Steph-uk9qh]

I’ve lived in Tyler for 24 years and I grew up in Houston. I couldn’t be more proud of my hometown tv investigators for bringing this to light. Thank you.

[@johnjames4567]

they didn't bring this story ....a citizen journalist did....

[@mr.flowers8480]

​@@johnjames4567who was it???

[@drb6530]

​@johnjames4567 that's exactly what I said. Lying cops lying politicians we can deal with,but lying news agencies can bing down the country .

[@thomasbell7033]

@@johnjames4567 Thank you. I am a retired print journalist (originally from Houston). As I watched this fine piece of enterprise journalism, I wondered who really did the legwork, the real reporting. TV stations don't normally have the staff, the skills or the inclination to do this.

[@revolutionday1]

Shoutout to The Toadies!

[@tanner9851]

Absolute textbook investigative journalism. Thank you for your service Jeremy, you not only saved unnecessary stress from the victims but also potentially saved lives.

[@thoraz997]

Yeah...but if the Chief's name was Trump, half of the people in the country would say this was FAKE news.

[@whatsyourdream]

I am thankful for the bad people of all professions to be removed. There are good and bad in all needed professions. I do wish the good police would be more proactive in the community against the scourge that is gangs. Houston is being over run with violent thugs.

[@whiskeykilmer1866]

@@whatsyourdream Yes, the gangs in blue.

[@benedictcumberbatch4275]

Both

[@John-f8e2y]

​@@whiskeykilmer1866if you want to see a gang and blue give me your address

[@jewelhinton-warren5960]

The Mayor should resign because he allowed this to happen on his watch !!

[@phyl1283]

The mayor had to know. if he didn't he was also incompetent and corrupt as wekk.

[@KuariThunderclaw]

To be fair, a mayor's power over the police is often more limited than people realize. Some can fire police chiefs, some can't. In fact, in Coffee City, it appears that the entire city council had to vote on the chief's removal. Point is, never assume it's the mayor that has all the authority over a police department. It VERY much depends on the city. Some it is absolutely true, others they have next to none.

[@eilenekellogg-ki2br]

You know the mayor was getting his perks

[@hlee-w9u]

the "chief" doesn't have an original thought in his head. What needs to be investigated is who hired him. It took a news station to perform a background check on a criminal police chief that's had a warrant for almost a decade. When I applied for a nursing license as a student I was required to have an FBI background check before a license was ever issued to me, but this man in charge of public trust doesn't even get the minimum background check.

[@imbalancedstatus8824]

Some say you can't out the mouse to guard the cheese

[@mistiemayfield5749]

Great point!!

[@honda443]

As far as who hired him, it was whomever the mayor was back in 2021. That means if it's not the current one, then it was his predecessor

[@Rhaspun]

Some good old boy networking going on here.

[@Gdupfromthefeetup]

This garbage police officer was hired with an active warrant! Absolutely insane!

[@imbalancedstatus8824]

He said it was disposed off..But immediately after the interview, retained a lawyer to fight the ticket

[@AlbertoGonzalez..]

🐖

[@bammrz4099]

@@AlbertoGonzalez..amen brother

[@jmfia2391]

Wow. You can make this up. I keep telling people, the real crooks are in blue! They are sworn crooks.

[@cubey]

Welcome to police state USA

[@ecotts]

It's actually really interesting when journalists do their job properly.

[@X3AmySarah]

Yeah, we could use A LOT more of that in this country. Especially with politicians.

[@weneedreform-usa]

Amazing Job! God bless all the hard work you do for our country. When everyone is scared of Law Enforcement, you stood up and practice justice against those that suppress us. God Bless your organization.

[@tammysmom1]

It is so scary that he was able to put that all in place without anyone questioning him 😮

[@Rhapbus1]

its texas, the majority of the town will fellate the officers if asked.

[@mflint41]

He didn't. They made a million dollars in traffic tickets and had 50 cops in a town of 250. The mayor and the city council knew what was going on. They might not have set it up, but they benefitted from it and kept their mouths closed when it seemed fishy.

[@ctaylor2311]

Sounds like centerville ga They have more cops than stop signs..ugh

[@mani7263]

I'd be looking into the Mayor

[@WorkingProgress17]

That's not a police department; it's organized crime. Those citizens have every right to do something about it.

[@Kentucky81]

Most of those citizens (The white ones) in Texas? Oh they def support this

[@borkingborker5567]

All police are just state-sanctioned gangs. Most of them are corrupt, and the same thing that happened here needs to happen all over this country. Abolition Reform is required. Disband them and then recreate a new law enforcement from scratch. The Germans didn’t reform the Gestapo after WWII, they abolished and replaced it.

[@notaspy1227]

Lol Police Departments are Organized crime organizations.

[@Jmonkeh]

And then you realize that EVERY police department is organized crime..

[@CS-pi5oc]

Yes, it an organized crime syndicate. It’s despicable and criminal.

[@rayLater]

This guy brought down a whole police force. Best investigation story I heard in a while. Great work

[@howardlucas]

249 people 50 cops and it needed an informer to highlight this . Absolute and disgrace to the justice system .

[@kimbradshaw8589]

Texas? What a shocker! Tuck Fexas.

[@thomasspringer5187]

Domestic terrorist impersonating law enforcement called Police Forces is a dishonor to our common lore justice system !!!!

[@imbalancedstatus8824]

imagine this guy is more credible in the eyes of the court than your honorable citizen.

[@houseoflattimore]

But, of course! And it’s not organized crime! Thank goodness! Lol.

[@bezerbezer5567]

Im not sure how anyone can believe a cop without great evidence. Too many cops on videos lying. Cops are the biggest liars on earth.

[@byroncrump4431]

Nice ❤

[@georgegarvey7338]

That's an EXTREMELY scary thought.

[@chasstiles7611]

Disgusting isn't it

[@8thhousealchemist600]

Nobody believes the Mayor was truly unaware. You can't hide the payroll for christ sakes 😂

[@daveg-Vancouver_Island]

Anyone who’s got a ticket from that force should form a class action lawsuit against them!

[@Batony]

Absolutely

[@X3AmySarah]

Yep

[@hermeticascetic]

it would be them paying themselves...

[@moviemania23]

​@hermeticascetic the stretch of road that the cops ticketed were people traveling through. The majority of the tickets went to out of towners

[@CatherineSTodd]

Yes, and get their million dollars back!

[@shawnsteele1834]

Great investigative journalism!

[@mikeswanson6145]

The DOJ should investigate because this is racketeering. Texas has let this go on for years. The entire city council should go to jail

[@RevTox]

The Department of Injustice is too busy making up indictments for the top presidential candidate in the nearest election.

[@Bullitt3401]

The DOJ, FBI, ATF, DHS, etc. all support this type of law enforcement.

[@davide4725]

@@RevToxWhat indictments would those be?

[@furbywurby4289]

​@@RevToxKeep sipping on that treasonous copium.

[@Mister-Reno]

Why are we so delusional to think this isn't happening in every town, city ,parish, county all over this country.

[@stevenhiggins3331]

It does all over the the country

[@roadtoofar]

That's why we need more real journalists and citizens with cameras

[@tatianagranger2427]

I’m not saying it’s not true, but most other police departments aren’t fully staffed and haven’t been for a long time. This is gross. This is wrong. Thanks for covering it.

[@WokeOne75]

Same reason people liked to pretend tht America has no racism. It forces peopel to ponder uncomfortable truths.

[@Chulitatr]

They were scamming funds from the gov't and funneled it into their bank accounts. Cops were getting paid $50-$100 K per year. It's a/k/a kleptocracy.

[@Recovering_Californian]

Mayor ought to resign too. Willful ignorance or complete incompetence ...which one is it? As the Mayor you ought to know what is going on with your own PD. I suspect that the Mayor (and city council) did know and let this go because of how lucrative the department was for their city budget.

[@imbalancedstatus8824]

Nooo sir.. Mayor met the chief there. Yes, he should have done more

[@imacmill]

Were all the traffic violations fabricated? If they were all valid, then it looks like good ol' Texans ain't so big on law and order. (We already know they're not)

[@DanOKC]

The Mayor and City Council seems to think you can NEVER have too many COPS or Loot they dump into the city coffers..

[@rickdon6006]

I feel the mayor knows a lot more than he is leading to believe. He felt the heat and is now of the offense to not get tangled in the evil web!! But coffee county is alone. Many police dept behave this same way. They are the largest gang in the country.

[@bouffant-girl]

Iy is not easy to get into the blue gang. But once you are in , you are guaranteed a job for life! Unless you refuse to get vaccinated for Covid; that is.

[@WilliamBell-zu5ll]

Federal law should mandate that any cop who has criminal charges pending their certification is suspended. Found guilty their certification is the first to go.

[@phyl1283]

good luck with that.

[@arievena19744]

​@@phyl1283: police unions would never allow that.

[@Mark-gg6iy]

@@arievena19744 Texas Republicans would object before unions.

[@srm946]

Government holding itself accountable that's funny

[@elle-vk4js]

This is why local journalism is so important. We all need to support local coverage and local print, because they take the time to look into issues that effect our neighbourhoods and uncover what larger news coverage cannot focus on. Fantastic work to the team of journalists who thoroughly and responsibly investigated this!

[@Jayblazey]

Thays exactly why this video needs more views and likes. So does your comment 👍

[@dashuntas.m4045]

The corporatization of Journalism has been one of the most damaging but still overlooked issues affecting citizens and their relationship to government and civil servants

[@chrisv.noire.6388]

And this is why legacy media is trying to buyout all local journalism. To stop this type of important work on behalf of their corporate sponsors.

[@TheSpongiform]

Jokes on you, this is a corporate owned channel too. It's owned by Tegna, which is based out of Tyson's Corner (just outside of DC). But at least it's not Sinclair.

[@CadyCadwell]

i supported 1st amandement auditor but this city is so dangerous, their entire department already violated their oath, what makes you think the auditor not gonna get shoot on the site with bodycam turned off???

[@raouldelacruz9677]

You guys are what investigative journalism is meant to be. You have changed the lives of citizens, tax payers, and those poor souls who may been the victims of shady police practices. Great job!

[@pudgimelon]

Meanwhile Gannett is hiring a Taylor Swift reporter....

[@snuffysmiff]

Except I notice that not once is the mayor and company's political affiliation is ever revealed. Which tells me everything I need to know...

[@raouldelacruz9677]

Political affiliation determines legality? How so?

[@dc7236]

This comment deserves a million likes!!

[@dc7236]

​@@raouldelacruz9677he's saying there's way more blame to go around then just Chief Portillo

[@bonsaw57]

JEREMY, youre a champion among journalists. Doing true journalism in the world of bullshit. Thank you for your service

[@walkingdeadman4208]

He got this story from another channel. How foes that make him a champion?

[@aliceharris1998]

@@walkingdeadman4208 He did the follow up didn’t he? The other channel just told about it and let it drop didn’t they?

[@vickieellis6876]

Thankyou for exposing it!!

[@karenharbaugh332]

How can the taxes paid by 250 residents pay the salaries of 50 cops?

[@WeAllWeGot333]

We can afford anything ask Ukraine 😂

[@MaLuDramatic]

Traffic tickets from people passing through the highway

[@intercat4907]

Apparently, they were siphoning off the fines from those 5000 tickets. Yeah, isn't that creepy.

[@dr.thriller246]

I’m one of the tickets myself 😂 definitely entrapment

[@JohnnyDE85]

​@dr.thriller246 wow so you're from coffee city? So see pigs every half mile? 😂

[@teetimewisdom90]

I’m so relieved that investigative journalism is still alive and well ❤

[@crystalde661]

Amen🙌🏾🙌🏾

[@lindatraynor728]

I don't live in Coffee city and never heard of it until now but I think you did a hell of a job exposing this CORRUPTION!!!!!

[@jalenwhite6820]

It's on lake Palestine outside of Tyler Texas

[@hitechdavid]

Ive watched hundreds of your videos. This was the best one yet. That Karen of a Sargent was of the chain

[@cdecola]

This happens all over the US. They just shuffle the bad cops around to different precincts after they mess up in one place.

[@ToolofSociety]

Yup I've seen it myself. A town cop got kicked off the force because of his terrible behaviour and within days he was hired by the county police department...

[@cynthiajones4689]

You're Absolutely Correct 👍

[@Nikkinoonie]

Wow ‼️

[@relsba]

Bad priests, pastors, youth councilors, teachers, youth case workers,etc. That’s how the Vegas cop got hired in Maui.

[@loiscurry1020]

Yep,just like they do pedophile priests, just ship them to another Parrish or precient.disgusting.all.

[@Pretermit_Sound]

I come from a hometown that literally has the same population as Coffee: 249. They have 0 (zero) police officers. The county sheriff covers what minuscule amount of crime that does occur. The fact that anyone allowed a police department of this size in a town with such a small population is absolutely ridiculous, and there should be serious consequences for those who are responsible for this situation. This absolutely boils my blood 🤬

[@davyboy9397]

The mayor and city council needs to go. Time to clean house

[@rondas7772]

So the sheriff investigates himself if something goes wrong. You need at least 10 police officers, not zero

[@davyboy9397]

@@rondas7772 The Sheriff is elected. Police Chief isn't. A bad Sheriff? Go vote him out

[@cmasterson]

@@rondas7772that’s not how that works. Sheriff can and currently is doing the police work of many small towns. The state law enforcement agency investigates the sheriff and small departments

[@cmasterson]

There are many towns in South Carolina where the sheriff does the police work and has no police officers for the city. There is one city in Oregon or Washington state that has 4 officers rotated like the fire department. 1 is on shift for 24 hours and sleep at the station. Then they rotate.

[@Joel-pi2tt]

Damn good journalism and a real breath of fresh air!

[@sovereignnation6556]

why is it that a disgraced "police chief" that obviously was a 'legal mob boss', is allowed to walk freely around in public. He's a disgrace to the honor of the profession and should be made to feel the full weight of how the law works against criminals. Thank you KHOU 11 and Jeremy for the investigative reporting.

[@tedkaczynskiamericanhero3916]

Because when you're part of the boot on the neck of the people, you can do whatever you want with no concern for repercussions! You work for the government, and don't ever forget it.

[@glockinmypocket9854]

There is NO honor in that profession. Period. I don't care what their plans, hopes, and intentions are when they start.

[@abraxasjinx5207]

Why is someone who illegally retained national security secret documents while hobnobbing with enemy governments still walking around farting in our face?

[@MrBLAA]

Tax dollars are literally funding “legal” gangs. Freakin’ sick of this crap

[@User-gfys-0icu81]

He has a target on his back, all are welcome to go after him now.

[@gingerfeliciano9531]

This is AMAZING journalism. I watched every minute of it.

[@imacmill]

What will you do with the information you learned here?

[@aaronqueen55]

@@imacmillthere is nothing we can do. The govt owns us.

[@imacmill]

@@aaronqueen55 At what point in history was that NOT true? How far back do you go?

[@imacmill]

@@Pohonesty Exactly what comment of mine are you referring to?

[@aaronqueen55]

@@imacmill there needs to be enough people to get pushback, but people are too busy and scared.

[@seanof30306]

I love watching a good investigative journalist work. Very Few left these days. Good on you Jeremy.

[@walliegoolsby5389]

Any police who is dishonorable discharged should not be allowed to wear the uniform ever. Any police who is let go because of disciplinary actions should not be allowed to go to another police department and get hired. Mayor failed to do his job.

[@WeAllWeGot333]

Lol law enforcement is a joke military members get held more accountable than law enforcement 😂

[@Adam-om9hu]

​@ShotByMoo whats your point? Different job?

[@iamlogiebear]

Sounds like they took a page out of the catholic's program

[@WeAllWeGot333]

@@Adam-om9hu yeah a “real job” law enforcement most of the time are military rejects and domestic abusers or people who need authority to get off the be mad at the statistics not me this video is evidence to that

[@King1Leon]

Well, your typical disciplinary actions don't solely pertain to interactions with the public. They can also stem from insubordinate behavior, such as cursing out superiors or refusing to follow orders. Most of these aren't all that bad. However, a dishonorable discharge signifies severe misconduct, often indicating grave violations against the public, or internal corruption. Such individuals should be held accountable and prevented from serving as police officers in the future.

[@kindredmalise6633]

The mayor is in on it. You can't be that inept and not notice that.

[@freakboynv2000]

A rare case of a journalist doing something good and useful. Bravo

[@Mosteiro90]

A common case of someone making stupid comments about journalism.

[@mattiemathis9549]

I don’t live in Texas, so I don’t know if this is common for your journalists, but this is GREAT reporting! This is why we have the 1st Amendment.

[@hakuakua3020]

Small towns doing this is a norm in Texas. My dad had to pay a ticket to this town for a ticket while we were passing through.

[@shawnr771]

Yes we have some really good local journalists. Many shady businesses have been exposed over the years for scamming consumers.

[@thoraz997]

Yes, but the First Amendment also allows FOX and MSNBC to peddle UNTRUE opinions and their viewers/consumers actually believe them to be REAL news.

[@jarrodmelson7802]

This reporter has done amazing work bringing this to light and bringing immense change. True investigative reporting. Well done, sir.

[@bocephusbirchcull4044]

We do not have to allow criminals to police us. Arm yourselves, citizens. These type of ‘people’ become VERY polite when faced with instant correction.

[@kennethwilliams7697]

The Mayor and City Council are not much better than the Poilice Chief, 50 officers for a population of 250 people, and they didn't think that was strange? This is beyond crazy! If it wasn't for Mr Rogalski this would have never seen the light of day.

[@vrettos99]

Probably didn't question it when he saw the money pouring in

[@mochissin84m84]

city council? thats not a city a small town like that its almost like just a big family..they know each other

[@Ivan_Be_Viben]

Stuff like this ruins the public trust in law enforcement, what a shame

[@robertusa1234]

Nouthing but a bunch of road pirates. The city officials didn’t care as long as the ticket revenue came in.. at least they sided care tial the story broke

[@firecatskylar]

Brother the police have been like this since their inception. This is a organized crime syndicate who harass citizens if they speak out, who kill animals and citizens if they deem them out of line, they steal, defraud, and do so much illegal shit while saying how they will protect and serve. The Supreme Court said they don't have to protect and serve anyone so who are they for? This is happening all over the country right now.

[@marvelous1689]

That's everywhere. They have qoutas. Judges get voted in and some of that is based on arrests,how many ppl are in jail under him/her. It's all profit for the courts and state. Cops are soldiers for the state not for us. Not all are corrupt though but the whole system is diseased which is why judgement is waiting repent

[@Green-bs4ex]

You think it's a shame to not trust the government? I bet you're a bootlicking fool.

[@NancyReiderLittleGranny]

I'll never call the bastards. Unless I want someone murdered or I want someone's pet shot. Law enforcement is made up of narcissists and sociopaths who enjoy kidnapping people for profit. They're scum

[@MarkOPolo456]

The chief should be fired for not reporting the DWI and also for not showing up for court. He’s obviously lying about why he didn’t report it.

[@RevTox]

It did seem a bit hypocritical that he hired people to grab and/or fine people for FTAs, yet he was one. "Welcome to Florida! Come on vacation. Leave on probation!"

[@jamestabor4658]

Agreed. Total liar, along with the chain up!!!

[@The2KXperience]

There was a time, not so long ago, where journalists were considered bastions of truth and defenders of the public. This report reminds me of those times. I have no doubt in my mind that the police chief would have continued to get away with all his illicit activity if it weren't for this report. An entire city would continue to be plagued by untrustworthy, dishonest, bad cops. If not for this report. This is the power of investigative journalism. This report makes me proud to be a Houstonian.

[@micahbodha6129]

Never!! The media are owned and report only what they are permitted to

[@aprilturner1884]

Trump helped stop that

[@rkgaustin9043]

Finally! Some actual investigative reporting. So rare these days. Well done Jeremy and KHOU!

[@bowsie6129]

I was thinking the same thing

[@donaldwillinger4280]

Absolutely fantastic work. Thank you for caring about others.

[@meese9140]

Local journalism at work! Thanks to y’all, and the tipster!

[@TonyWud]

Stay safe, Jeremy. You're a credit to your profession.

[@joshuahenning2118]

Jeremy took the story from another journalist but hey who cares right.😊

[@TonyWud]

Give us the name of the reporter who broke the story. @@joshuahenning2118

[@fs_dave]

@@joshuahenning2118 You keep saying this, but never say from whom the story was "taken". As far as I can tell, this was story was broken by KHOU and their sister station, CBS19. If this is incorrect, then say who actually broke the story.

[@patrickgragg5602]

HI, JEREMY, THANKS FOR THE HARD WORK!

[@Rickkysimo]

Thank you for investigating and keeping public servants accountable

[@emilystevens5131]

Imagine being the mayor of a town with a blatant abuse of police powder situation and being interviewed in a dirty shirt and shorts. No wonder Coffee City is as crap as it is.

[@MM-rr1kp]

he has to be on the take here as well

[@revolutionday1]

"Police powder".... 😄

[@VioletWings1353]

The mayor doesn't have clean hands on this situation either. He was either in on what the police department was doing or is too incompetent to run a city. The Mayor of a city is in charge of the Chief of Police. The chief of police answers to the mayor.

[@emilystevens5131]

@@revolutionday1 I know, I know. Stooppid autocorrect.

[@JCreole]

Thinking the same thing…wouldn’t surprise me if he was in on it also.

[@smuzzie1]

Way to go Jeremy Rogalski. Very nicely and honorably done. Thank you

[@asdfasdf-wd1ju]

Congratulations Mr. Rogalski! You did good. Now the town can begin again and do it right. Ordinary people would never know a lot of things if it weren't for investigative reporters like you. We are very grateful. Thank you!

[@rileymcphee9429]

I hope this channel wins awards for this story. Never in my life would I have expected to see something like this unfold so fast in Texas, of all places.

[@lukelee3]

Texas is THE perfect place to be a corrupt cop. 😂😂

[@Denailacole]

Shout out to you Jeremy! This is why I went to school for journalism! He shut the whole operation DOWN! We love to see it 👏🏽

[@alinateaca5075]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@katuhstrofik]

crazy to think even one great journalist exists these days. this is incredible and you all should be very proud.

[@amydavis4945]

You guys should receive awards for your investigative reporting on this story. You have exposed an incredibly corrupt system that (I believe) goes all the way to the top of this town. I live in a small town with around 250 citizens.... nothing happens here that everyone doesn't know about. Everybody knows everybody and many are related in one way or another. There's no way we could have 50 cops without the town council being very well aware of it.

[@machintelligence]

Willful ignorance.

[@walkingdeadman4208]

They took this story from other channels. They didnt find the corruption

[@ct5625]

Yep, there's more than a little bs from that Mayor. They knew exactly what was happening and they were okay with it as long as it was making them money. They only acted when the heat was on. I think the investigation should continue, they should probably interview some of those cops who were let go to get their take on who knew what and who was benefiting from this corrupt system. It would not surprise me in the least if they found some interesting bank statements.

[@yellowcat1310]

right, it was 1A auditors and copwatchers that found the corruption. just no one cares when true free press shows the videos.@@walkingdeadman4208

[@amydavis4945]

@@walkingdeadman4208 Pretty sure it's the other way around... I've seen the other channels that covered this story **after** KHOU started digging in to it.

[@mediocrekrys]

This is such amazing research, reporting and investigation. Thank you to those keeping accountability.

[@John-f8e2y]

Why don't you go live there then. You do realize crime and coffee city is 14% higher than the national average

[@aliceharris1998]

@@John-f8e2y Probably because the PD personnel were too busy doing everything but their real jobs.

[@John-f8e2y]

@@aliceharris1998 so you're just running your mouth without any facts or evidence. Couldn't I say the same thing about you. You don't think it might have something to do with coffee City being off of a major interstate we are thousands if not more people drive by a day. I could drive through coffee City approach somebody walking down the road punch them in the face and take their wallet get back in my car and leave the city very quick.

[@marcosmendoza2516]

Hats off for this investigation team! Well done.

[@HowdyFolksGaming]

A town of less than 300 people doesn’t need a police department. The Sheriff’s Department should be able to handle everything going down there.

[@domgesvalli3164]

My town is 1500 people we have 2 officers thats all they need

[@michaelward9880]

​@@domgesvalli3164Same here. I think we have 5 or 6 officers.

[@JTEllis]

Great work! As a retired police officer from another state, I find it disturbing that even a small city would overlook what its police department is doing. Google posts that the national recommendation for the number of police officers per 1000 residences is 2.5. How does Coffee City with 250 people even justify a police officer? It sounds like a revenue collecting scheme other words, a speed trap. They should rely on the Sheriff's department for police services. They would be best served by providing an office available around the clock for sheriff's personnel to work out of.

[@davyboy9397]

Yessir. My "small" city has 15 thousand residents and we rely on our County's Sheriff Department even. It works out great

[@jackburton7062]

I believe the sheriff already said he could take on the extra work load since its a quiet town where nothing happens anyways.

[@JTEllis]

@@davyboy9397 There are a couple of cities near where I live in Alabama that do the same thing. The sheriff will have a substation or office in the city with personnel assigned to it. It works really well and keeps the city politics out of law enforcement.

[@03roadieblkpur]

It was incorperated for revenue collecting scheme to begin with and has always been just that.

[@debihester7284]

@@03roadieblkpurno we need cops to get the bad guys

[@kidjoe22]

That mayor is shady AF!

[@toughsun2704]

Yeah that mayor was absolutely lying about what he knew and didn't know

[@benjaminguilatcoiv]

I don't see how the police department could do all that without the mayor being in on it.

[@Zola_6]

Great Journalism and even better this is on KZbin , I don’t even reside in the US and I get to see this

[@eryx7307]

Corruption within law enforcement?! Who could have possibly imagined such a thing???

[@Kourumeme]

Mexico

[@JimmySilverFoot]

@@Kourumeme what?

[@eryx7307]

"Mexico" is how you say "corruption" in spanish...

[@carlmorgan8452]

Reform is needed / ASAP void police certification ⚠️

[@carlmorgan8452]

List the names ?

[@roadtoofar]

Thank you KHOU for real journalism and not kissing up to the government you are supposed to be watching and holding accountable

[@jondoe406]

Who knew that real journalism still existed in America

[@chazzw5388]

That's a damn shame a credit card company can report you for not paying back a loan and have other loan companies to reject your application based off that info why don't police departments do the same to protect the citizens? If cops get fired no hire in any city in that state!!! They all must be held accountable for their choices!!!

[@fahadfaisal7855]

The entire nation's police departments are all in in it. Ya know the ''Blue Line Brotherhood'. Just notice when called out, and about to be terminated, most cops just resign, to be instantly get picked up by the Police Department in the next city. It's their play. They will always back each other up...because, deep down, they know that almost all of them are the 'same'!

[@gailmarie4039]

No hire in ANY STATE! These criminals deserve no breaks whatsoever for any reason. If anything they should be held to a higher standard.

[@madhatter9001]

That is why they always resign when they see shit rolling down hill so they can work in another town.

[@undertalefan970]

He hired other crooks to help felicitate and hide his illegal activities. This was some good investigative reporting.

[@lisacole690]

Excellent journalism, KHOU.

[@jesseb4life]

Have not seen any real journalism like this in a long long time. Good work. Journalist like this keep our communities informed and safe. Well done!

[@warrenpowers108]

Love how shocked everyone seems to see the level of corruption on display when it exists in every state in the nation

[@billyrussell8684]

Idk most cities are smarter about how they control their gangs I mean cops

[@Recon6delta]

Not this bad

[@mwhitelaw8569]

Not happening where I live 8 County cops, 9 state patrol, my town which is 3 small towns in a boxed valley has 5 cops . And it's the largest county in the state. They got alot of ground to cover, I hardly ever see them .

[@lilcourtny08]

​@@Recon6deltathe same thing happened in Brookside Alabama. Look them up and they were just as corrupt

[@AmyB369]

Not shocked at all just glad they are being called out for it

[@motdepass4560]

All I can say is WOW, that's some serious journalism work. Bravo Jeremy Rogalski 👏🏾

[@jessarain9917]

ABOLISH QUALIFIED IMMUNITY. ABOLISH QUALIFIED IMMUNITY.

[@kawh8719]

This is some quality journalism! Thank you for releasing this all at once. It's wonderful to see progress in this way.

[@babybirdhome]

This is what needs to happen all over the country - not just with the police but with elected officials and government officials generally. So much graft and corruption, so much bad leadership from top to bottom, so much of doing what we’ve always done whether any of it objectively works or not. We can do better, and we must do better. But it starts with citizens doing something, journalists doing their jobs, and followed up by leaders with some actual integrity who don’t just worship whatever side of the aisle they happen to sit on. This is a good thing, and it can be the start of a really great thing.

[@gNome_5]

I couldn't have said it better myself!! 💯🇺🇲

[@brad238899]

Public servants who do things bad enough to be fired do things bad enough to be charged with their crimes. We need to send a message to these people that corruption should be and will be prosecuted aggressively.

[@goatburgler]

Excellent work. This is why the country NEEDS active local newsrooms.

[@bitterklinger8160]

Ones they aren't run by the federal government as a mockingbird mouth piece to further agendas and feed the people propaganda.

[@gamercurey722]

Abolish qualified immunity holding them accountable for their unlawful actions against the innocent people of America the real criminals nowadays 💯

[@coolfeet1]

Terrible idea

[@brucewaite3733]

​@@coolfeet1so you think cops should be above the law? Go to Russia with that b.s.

[@coolfeet1]

@@brucewaite3733 LOL what?? No, I think getting rid of qualified immunity is a bad idea, not that cops should be above the law. If you think the two are synonymous, you should get a refund from wherever you go your law degree

[@mt_gox]

@@coolfeet1 I agree. Cops should have qualified immunity just like doctors do. Oh wait. No, doctors have to carry their own insurance in case they get sued.

[@coolfeet1]

@@mt_gox My mentor was in law enforcement for 30 years and carried a personal insurance plan for all of it. Besides that, cops make split second decisions that are often life or death. If you took away QI, a lot of cops would hesitate in that moment and a lot of innocent people would get hurt. This is already happening more and more, but completely disbanding QI would be a diaster.

[@Yobinski4900]

Nice work! Journalism at its best. 🎉 Congratulations on your success ❤

[@bowsie6129]

Mayor and City Council NEEDS TO GO ALSO! Either they are “in on it” or they are in responsible in knowing what is going on in their town.