AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JULY 2017 25 Protecting Ongoing Looking out for the community Intercepting Caring Eating doughnuts all the time On the case File everything Fixing problems In the cop car Criminal catching Extraordinary at protecting those under the law Rough, tough, and hard to beat Lance, a fifth grader, has a proud Dad – Dan Thompson, a lieutenant with the Wellington P.D. in Kansas. Police Officer: A poem by Lance Thompson I n Texas, law enforce- ment officers who break the law could soon find themselves in special courts just for cops. The reasoning appears to be that if low-level drug of- fenders, veterans and pros- titutes have special courts, why not have special courts for police officers? Under a proposed law authored by Texas lawmak- ers, police officers, firefight- ers, corrections officers and EMS first-responders who commit crimes would ap- pear before a special court system. House Bill 3391 was ap- proved 25-6. It now goes to Governor Greg Abbott to be signed into law. Sen. Brian Birdwell, R- Granbury, the Senate spon- sor of the measure, says cops shouldn’t have to go through the normal criminal justice system that other citizens face. He says special courts for veterans have been a suc- cess and hopes the special police courts will follow suit. The special police courts, according to an article from The Houston Chronicle, will be like the drug courts, family drug courts, veterans courts, mental health courts, child support and child-protec- tion courts and prostitution courts. Typically, first-time de- fendants are diverted into special courts before they go to trial on criminal charges. Judges in these special courts can make subjective judg- ments and send defendants to treatment centers and therapy programs or other measures instead of standard criminal sentencing. The bill appears to indi- cate that the courts will be for public safety employees “who have committed a crime as a result of suffering from job-related post-trau- matic stress disorder.” “These individuals serve in a profession that is known for high levels of danger and stress,” an analysis of the law reads. “Placing them in a pro- gram that addresses the root of their mental health problems will provide these otherwise upstanding citi- zens with the opportunity to overcome their work-related problems and allow them the chance to once again become productive mem- bers of society rather than simply put them through the criminal justice system.” Prosecutors must agree for a defendant to be allowed to go to the special police courts and that they can be sent back to the regular criminal justice system if they fail to comply with court-ordered treatment like anger management programs. If signed into law by Gov- ernor Abbott, the legislation will take effect this fall. Special courts for police? The really interesting part about this is what the jury selection process might look like RISE ABOVE 360 24/7 SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. ON DEMAND. Skywatch provides the deployable, capable, integrated surveillance system required by today’s law enforcement professionals to monitor key events and locations. With a wide variety of sensors to choose from, Skywatch can be tailored to fit any environment or budget. In a world that requires vision and flexibility, accept no compromises. SEE HOW AT WWW.FLIR.COM/APB