GritsforBreakfast has a short but effective article that asks a legitimate question: Are the Texas Rangers incompetent to investigate government corruption?
"Observing the slew of corruption cases in Texas, Grits has been struck by the fact that they typically are only ever prosecuted when the federal government steps in. Is this because the Texas Rangers are incompetent to the task? Clearly they blew it in Crystal City.
"Reported the Express-News, "The FBI in San Antonio also has seen a sharp increase in corruption cases, rising threefold to 64 open cases, between 2012 and 2014." But corruption is illegal under state law, too, and these are local officials, for the most part, catching these cases.
"Why isn't Texas law enforcement able to identify and prosecute corruption? Is it because Texas DPS's enforcement and spending priorities are focused on patrolling the border region, which ironically is the safest area in the state, instead of on officials who violate the public trust? Or might Texas fail to confront corruption even without competing priorities, simply leaving the task to the feds because it's easier, and you get to blame Obama if things go bad?"
From my own experience, when I was trying to expose the rotten state of the 198th Judicial District a few years ago the Rangers either ignored me or told me I should mind my own business. I personally think that they are too close to the local officials, especially in law enforcement, they are supposed to investigate.
In my humble opinion, the Rangers are one of the most overrated law enforcement agencies in the country.
The Bullock Museum in Austin currently has an exhibit about some of the violence the Rangers inflicted on Mexican-Americans in the early part of the last century, Life and Death on the Border: 1910-20.
San Antonio Express-News 1/20/16
ReplyDelete"Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer said Lynch, who had a lengthy rap sheet, also was wanted out of Gillespie County. A call to the sheriff’s office there was not returned Wednesday. Texas Ranger Kevin Wright, who is leading the investigation, declined comment."