‘IN ORDER TO KEEP FROM LOOKING SUSPICIOUS,’ THAT IS LOOKING LIKE COPS

Fighting crime or having a good time at the taxpayers’ expense? For the past three years, 170 Houston vice officers have been investigating the Treasures strip club

It is not unusual for vice cops to find violations a number of times at a particular club or for narcotics officers to buy drugs a number of times from the same dealer before filing any charges. The reason for making numerous investigations before filing charges is to show that the violations were not isolated incidents.

In the Treasures case, the HPD vice officers may have crossed the line by engaging in lap dances. And 170 cops investigating the same club over a three-year period seems a bit over the top and hard to justify. Were they fighting crime or having a good time at the taxpayers’ expense?

FIGHTING CRIME OR CROSSING THE LINE?: TWO HPD VICE COPS PAID $850 FOR DRINKS AND LAP DANCES AT POPULAR STRIP CLUB
by Jeremy Rogalski

khou.com
October 31, 2012

HOUSTON -- The City of Houston and Harris County are quick to call Treasures, the Galleria-area cabaret, a haven for criminal activity that needs frequent police attention.

But some say crime has nothing to do with it.

"They're in there drinking beer, having a good time and getting dances from pretty girls," said attorney Casey Wallace, who represents Treasures.

So who is Wallace talking about? Houston vice cops, who he claims come into Treasures not to police, but to partake.

"You can clearly see him groping her," Wallace said of a club security video, in which an undercover HPD sergeant is getting a table dance.

And it’s not just any dance, Wallace said.

"There you can see where he's kissing on her breasts in the club, in public," Wallace said.

Under the law, that could be considered misdemeanor public lewdness, according to Wallace.

In the September 2009 video, the sergeant’s partner also is seen groping another dancer on the same night.

In fact, police records show during their investigation, the two cops over two days, bought alcohol and table dances totaling $850 of taxpayer money.

And the reason for all of it: “In order to keep from looking suspicious,” according to the police report.

And what was the result of the two-day operation?

“(There was) not a single arrest, not a single criminal charge, nothing but some officers inside having a good time in Treasures," Wallace claimed.

In fact, police records obtained by the I-Team reveal similar visits to the club. In April, three undercover officers got table dances, and "observed numerous sexually-oriented business violations,” but chose not to arrest anybody. They did write "investigation to continue.” Three days later, the same cops went in again, and again they got table dances and observed violations. But again, no arrests were made. And again they determined, “investigation to continue."

And then there’s a case in May, where undercover cops came to the club and officers negotiated for two dancers "to engage in oral sex with each other.” But instead of arresting them immediately, the cops "observed the suspects" doing the sex act and "waited for this to be completed."

"Is this really where we need our city resources spent?" Wallace said.

He called it a pattern of targeted harassment.

"One hundred and seventy officers have been investigating Treasures for the past three years, 170 officers have not investigated any of the other clubs in Houston," Wallace said.

So what happens when police do make arrests? The I-Team checked court records and found that three out of every four prostitution cases from Treasures are dismissed.

And yet, “It is the biggest whorehouse in Texas," according to Terry O’Rourke, second in command to Vince Ryan at the Harris County Attorney’s Office.

The County Attorney’s office recently joined City of Houston's attorneys, who've been battling Treasures for years in court. They call the club a public nuisance.

As for the vice cops in those club security videos, Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo said nothing illegal happened, but the two officers were transferred to another division for not following department policy.

In her statement, Montalvo said HPD has since revised its guidelines to ensure the behavior of its officers is appropriate.