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Judge Calls for Resignations of Harris County Probation Department Heads In Light of Drug Test Scandal

Posted byHoumanitarian

(Brian Rogers, Houston Chronicle)
A Houston judge on Monday called for the resignation of the head of the county probation department and his top lieutenants after listening to days of testimony about alleged incompetence and sloppy work throughout the agency.

State District Judge Denise Collins also said she had no faith in the integrity of drug tests collected by the department and barred any results from the agency in her court until further notice. Her ruling would not affect cases that have already come through her court. The urine tests are routinely used to send probationers to jail or revoke the bail of suspects awaiting trial. She said officials at the probation department “turned a blind eye” to due process for defendants and systemic problems in the agency.

Earlier in the day, the department’s leaders testified they did not tell judges or the Harris County District Attorney’s Office about testing problems or about false positives.

“I know I can’t rely on them,” Collins said of the urine tests.

The judge’s declaration sprang from a routine hearing that was commandeered last week by defense attorney Lisa Andrews. During what is usually a brief hearing to revoke the probation of a client, Andrews subpoenaed the probation department’s leaders. She had spent months investigating the agency and has also subpoenaed thousands of emails and records. Last week, Andrews put on uncontroverted evidence that the department knew about more than 30 people whose tests results were wrongly reported.

Collins on Monday said she would not revoke probation for Andrews’ client. She also said she would forward transcripts and copies of evidence from the three-day hearing to the 36 other criminal judges in Harris County and implore them to oust Paul Becker and his three top deputies, Gilbert Garcia, Ray Garcia and Kim Valentine.
(Read more of this story at the Houston Chronicle)

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