Like many investigations, it began with a tip.
A retired legislation enforcement supply reached out to KHOU 11 investigative reporter Jeremy Rogalski final 12 months, alerting him that the police division at Espresso Metropolis, Texas, had employed a “really dysfunctional” officer.
Little did Rogalski know on the time, the division had greater than a dozen officers with felony backgrounds. Much more had confronted self-discipline at earlier legislation enforcement jobs. KHOU’s monthslong investigation would in the end uncover myriad points with the division, from an lively warrant for the police chief to a complete division of officers that one knowledgeable described as “mainly bounty hunters.”
However the very first thing Rogalski seen was the sheer measurement of the division. Espresso Metropolis has a inhabitants of 249. The division had 50 officers.
“Fifty cops in a city of 250 — that’s an fascinating story,” Rogalski mentioned. “That’s a talker.”
Nonetheless, Rogalski and his colleagues on the investigations staff weren’t positive whether or not it was a narrative for them. For one, Espresso Metropolis is greater than three hours north of Houston, exterior of KHOU’s viewing space. Would their viewers even care? Rogalski additionally acknowledged that digging into the tip would require a number of work. He would want to submit dozens of requests for the personnel information for every of the officers.
He determined to do exactly that. Rogalski made almost 100 requests to all the officers’ previous departments, asking for his or her personnel information, together with any disciplinary actions and the explanations for his or her departures. The requests price roughly $1,000 and resulted in almost 9,000 paperwork.
“That’s how we had been capable of decide that this wasn’t only a story a couple of small city writing a bunch of tickets,” Rogalski mentioned. “Espresso Metropolis, Texas, was a magnet for troubled cops, and greater than half of these officers had doubtful work histories.”
These doubtful work histories included suspensions, demotions and terminations. KHOU found officers with histories of extreme drive, public drunkenness and felony expenses that included aggravated assault and household violence. One officer was fired from their earlier job for telling a citizen on Fb, “You must kill your self, do the world a favor.”
On the middle of KHOU’s investigation was police Chief JohnJay Portillo. After arriving in Espresso Metropolis in 2021, he quadrupled the dimensions of the police drive, hiring most of the officers with troubled pasts. Portillo, who stunned KHOU reporters when he agreed to sit down down for an interview, had a checkered previous himself. He failed to say in his utility to change into police chief that he had a 2004 DWI cost, for which he failed to look in courtroom.
Espresso Metropolis police Chief JohnJay Portillo stunned KHOU 11 reporters when he agreed to sit down down for an interview. (Courtesy: KHOU 11)
Residents of Espresso Metropolis deserved to know who was serving their group, Rogalski mentioned. “If the signal says ‘defend and serve’ on the aspect of your squad automotive, effectively, would you like anyone with an arrest for household violence answering the decision when you could have a home state of affairs? Would you like anyone who’s pulling you over for a DWI who he himself had a DWI? If somebody was suspended, demoted, terminated or dishonorably discharged from one other division, would you like them serving your group?”
Locals had at all times identified that the city had a number of overzealous police. Investigative photographer/editor John Gibson mentioned that when he lived in close by Tyler, Texas, 20 years in the past, he remembered Espresso Metropolis’s popularity as a pace entice city. Throughout reporting journeys in Espresso Metropolis, residents instructed KHOU that the small city appeared to have an unusually excessive variety of officers.
Few might have guessed that there have been 50 of them. That quantity, Gibson mentioned, initially didn’t make sense. The division didn’t even have sufficient police vehicles for that many officers. All the things began to fall into place when KHOU found that the division had a division of officers figuring out of Houston, calling folks with excellent warrants. They had been paid for each case they collected regardless of state legislation requiring that officers be paid minimal wage.
“Numerous the officers had been by no means even within the metropolis,” Gibson mentioned. “They’re doing this warrant division, work-from-home factor.”
KHOU aired its Espresso Metropolis investigation over the course of three days final August. They needed to transfer rapidly after interviewing Portillo for worry that he would resign or the state of affairs would in any other case change earlier than they may go on air, Gibson mentioned. A part of the problem of placing the three-part sequence collectively was retaining the message easy.
“This venture was a little bit ironic in that what was fascinating technically wasn’t unlawful. Them being a ‘pace entice city’ — completely authorized. Them having 50 officers on the roster — whereas it’s uncommon, not unlawful,” Gibson mentioned. “Once we get to half three, what is against the law is that they’re not paying the minimal wage. That’s technically towards the principles. And the way fascinating is that?”
To hook the viewer and “deliver some vitality” to the piece, Gibson wished to start out with a trope that everybody might relate to — the small city that can pull you over. He labored to be sure that the headline — a city of 250 with 50 cops — would stick with the viewer irrespective of how far into the weeds the story bought because it explored the varied points with the division.
The response was swift. Inside two weeks, town council had voted to fire Portillo and disband your entire police division. In December, Portillo was given six felony charges for tampering with authorities information by failing to reveal his DWI cost on his Espresso Metropolis job utility. A number of different former Coffee City officers face felony expenses.
Government producer of investigations Jennifer Cobb mentioned she has by no means seen a narrative she labored on trigger such speedy change. The investigation’s success — regardless of her staff’s preliminary doubts — is a reminder to take an opportunity on tales that strike her curiosity, Cobb mentioned.
“I exploit it as my reminder now to maintain an open thoughts if I’m interested in one thing though it could not look like the positive factor or the story that makes ‘sense,’” Cobb mentioned. “It’s good to take a breath typically and take possibilities on tales and see the place they’ll take you.”
KHOU’s investigation received two nationwide Edward R. Murrow Awards and a Poynter Journalism Prize in native accountability reporting. The latter award, which is sponsored by The Seattle Occasions and carries the title of Occasions CEO Frank A. Blethen, acknowledges journalism that holds native authorities accountable for his or her actions (or inaction) and comes with a $2,500 prize.
Because the story aired, Rogalski has heard from viewers all over the world. A number of Espresso Metropolis townspeople, together with the mayor, thanked him. “He mentioned, ‘This has been form of brewing within the background, however we by no means actually had the time or the wherewithal or the sources or the vitality to do a deep dive of our personal.’”
Some viewers warned of different Texas police departments with comparable points, and KHOU did a subsequent story on “wandering officers” in Houston who had discovered employment at police departments regardless of being dishonorably charged from their earlier legislation enforcement jobs.
“I actually assume it (the Espresso Metropolis investigation) struck a nerve with folks in right this moment’s day and age of issues about legislation enforcement officers adhering to the oath that they took,” Rogalski mentioned. “That’s a difficulty that transcends geography, whether or not you’re in tiny Espresso Metropolis, Texas, or Wherever, USA. Individuals can relate to that.”
