State regulators have ordered the Trinidad, Texas, municipal police department disbanded after finding it could not demonstrate public benefit. The move follows the May arrest of Jennifer Combs over a Facebook post about possible bacterial contamination in the town's water and a separate protest arrest. Reviews by state agencies also uncovered operational shortfalls — including missing body armor, no evidence room and policy gaps — and the town will rely on the Henderson County Sheriff's Office while seeking a permanent solution.
Texas Orders Trinidad Police Department Shut Down After Failing To Prove Public Benefit
Police duties in Trinidad are being transferred to the Henderson county sheriff's office until a permanent solution is found.Photograph: Trinidad Police Department via Facebook
Trinidad, Texas — State regulators have ordered the Trinidad municipal police department in Henderson County to be disbanded after determining the agency could not demonstrate it provided a public benefit to the community.
The decision follows a May incident in which local resident and citizen journalist Jennifer Combs spent a night in jail after posting on Facebook that people had been hospitalized due to bacteria in the town's water pipes. Authorities initially charged Combs with a felony count of making a false report or alarm; the charge was later dropped after a grand jury declined to indict.
Arrests Sparked State Review
The day after Combs' arrest, officers detained a supporter who displayed a placard reading "fuck bad cops" outside city hall; that misdemeanor charge was also dropped. Those arrests prompted a review by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCLE), which notified Mayor Dennis Haws on 9 September that the police agency would be disbanded.
Regulators' Findings
TCLE concluded the department "failed to meet minimum standards" and was "unable to provide evidence that the agency provides public benefit to the community," according to the letter reported by KDFW. A separate inquiry by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) also flagged problems with Trinidad's water supply that city officials said they will address.
State reviewers identified practical and procedural deficiencies in the police agency, including a lack of bulletproof vests, no dedicated evidence room, and shortcomings in use-of-force policies, active-shooter response planning, vehicle pursuit procedures and officer professional conduct.
Local Response And Next Steps
Mayor Dennis Haws told reporters the decision was "not a shock," saying the department had seen "a lot of neglect through the years" and that the city is "moving in a positive direction." While officials seek a permanent solution, law-enforcement duties in Trinidad will be handled by the Henderson County Sheriff's Office.
The department employed five full-time officers and several part-time officers. Former police chief Charles Gregory resigned in June after the grand jury decision. Combs has filed a wrongful-arrest lawsuit alleging her detention was politically motivated retaliation for raising water-supply concerns. Henderson County Judge Scott McKee said he was misled by the police department when asked to approve an arrest warrant for Combs.
Combs posted on social media after the state order: "For months, citizens who questioned this [agency] were dismissed, attacked and in my case arrested. Now the state agency responsible for regulating Texas law enforcement has confirmed that this department could not demonstrate compliance with even the minimum standards. We were never the problem. We were exposing it."
The Guardian has contacted the city and the police department for further comment.
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