Cops in Texas allow inappropriate touching during prostitution bust, which causes cases to shrink away

Cops that were part of the street crimes unit of the Lewisville,TX police department ended up causing scandal when it was found they went to far in a brothel they were investigating. While there is no talk of sex occurring, it was still bad enough that all 23 cases were dropped and all police were punished. This is becoming another example for those who are tired of police going after prostitution, as they see those who choose to do it as part of a victimless crime.

At the same time, there is also the problem where situations like this show that, even if the cops were not on the take or having sex, they still went to far in their actions. It comes from the fact that there is a historical trend where cops and prostitutes is not a good mixture, even at the best of times. This is a case of cops most likely not fully breaking the law, but ending up in such a questionable situation that it has become internet fodder for people like me.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-cops-fired-inappropriate-sexual-163020812.html

What Happened

Here is what CBS in Texas had to say:

https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/lewisville-police-prostitution-misconduct-investigation/

Lewisville Police Chief Brock Rollins said that in October 2022, the former street crimes unit was assigned to uncover alleged prostitution at nine massage parlors in the city, as well as one in neighboring Flower Mound. The operation lasted until June 2024, resulting in 32 criminal charges against 28 suspects.

However, the Denton County District Attorney's Office told Rollins they wouldn't be able to prosecute any of the 23 cases because undercover officers had engaged in "inappropriate physical contact" with suspected prostitutes.

Lewisville PD launched an internal affairs investigation based on the DA's findings, which confirmed the alleged inappropriate contact, as well as alleged violations of "department directives and protocols."

"As the investigation revealed, nobody appears to have believed they were engaging in misconduct," Chief Rollins said. "I think the officers were acting with the best of intentions. Unfortunately, the intentions were not what the original training sets out to teach and also what the guidelines that we put in place for how these investigations should be conducted should happen."

While the investigation may never be fully out in the open, but it shows the dangers of investigating this crime. It bolsters the argument that this is not a crime that should be one, unless the women are trafficked. All of this was a waste of money for the taxpayers of the people of Lewisville.

The Punishments

The repercussions of what happened has been severe. Two of the sergeants and one officer was fired. A captain was demoted. Two sergeants and five officers were suspended without pay. Two officers were given “counseling entries”. Several officers were reassigned to other areas of the police department. It can also be said that this leaves the PD is going to have chaos, as they have 182 officers.

One has to wonder what is how the Lewisville PD will change with their training, as this has to be having the previous method to be questioned. If these police honestly believed they were doing nothing wrong, it makes undercover cops and their actions even more questionable. Just imagine what is happening to police who are undercover and have their life at risk. This is an issue that normal folks need to think about.

Lewisville Police Department, Brook Rollins, prostitution busts, undercover police work, Denton County District Attorney's Office

All my links: https://linktr.ee/RedneckThinker