http://www.nbc5i.com/news/9338610/detail.html
Police Chief Sets Hearings For Eight Officers Under Investigation

POSTED: 9:53 pm CDT June 7, 2006
UPDATED: 10:01 pm CDT June 7, 2006

DALLAS -- Police Chief David Kunkle has set hearings for eight Dallas police officers for Thursday, NBC 5 reported.

After making department history by firing five officers last week on the same day, Kunkle promised more discipline to come.

Kunkle is expected to attend eight administrative hearings on Thursday afternoon involving officers who are under internal investigation. Discipline could range from simple reprimands to terminations, NBC 5 reported.

When Kunkle fired five officers, he eluded to each of them in some way abusing the power of their position. The five officers are challenging their dismissals.

All five of the officers are also Hispanic, and the president of the Latino Officers Association is on record as saying he expects officers of "all races" within the department to face similar punishments.

The chief could make a decision about the eight officers who are now under investigation as early as Thursday afternoon.



http://www.nbc5i.com/news/9315791/detail.html
Five Dallas Police Officers Fired

POSTED: 9:57 pm CDT June 2, 2006
UPDATED: 10:08 pm CDT June 2, 2006

DALLAS -- Calling their actions a "black eye" on the department, Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle fired five officers on Friday morning, and controversy is already brewing over the disciplinary action.

Some call the firings swift justice in response to negative media attention, while others said that race might have played a role in the firings.

"To me, the highest violations are the ones where officers abuse the power of their office," Kunkle said. Kunkle said that is the single reason for the firings.

"I don't want to dramatize my role in this, but it is gut-wrenching," Kunkle said.

In the past two weeks, two officers were caught sleeping on the job at Love Field, then allegedly threatened retaliation against the reporter who exposed it, NBC 5's Randy McIlwain reported.

Two more officers showed up at City Towing and detained a tow truck driver, angered after one officer's car was towed from a club the night before, McIlwain reported. The officers never reported leaving their assigned division.

The department expects legal action from the dismissed officers.

"Their No. 1 question is why only Hispanic officers were terminated,'" said George Aranda, president of the Latino Officers Association.

Aranda called the dismissals "justified" but said there are officers of all races under investigation who need to go.

"This is not a race issue. This is about a right or wrong issue," Aranda said.

Kunkle said it is the highest number of officers who have been fired at one time in the department's history. He has promised there are more firings to come.

Attorneys for some of the dismissed officers said the chief "grossly exceeded the bounds of reasonable discipline," and plan to immediately appeal the terminations.