Posted on
September 21, 2013 in
McClelland was driving east on Clay in the far left lane, Cannon said. He came to a stop before turning left onto northbound Travis on a green light, looked into the intersection and didn’t see anyone in the crosswalk.
…
“He made the left turn and suddenly an adult male stepped off the curb into a moving lane of traffic,” Cannon said.
(Houston Chronicle, September 5, 2013.)
Contrast that HPD account of Chief McLelland’s collision with a pedestrian, and the video, released a couple of weeks later:
It is untrue that McLelland “came to a stop before turning left.” It is also untrue that his victim “suddenly stepped off the curb into a moving lane of traffic”
McLelland also claims that he was not texting or on the phone when he hit the pedestrian. This, I doubt.
This is not Chief McLelland being treated specially because he is the chief. It’s Chief McLelland receiving special treatment because he is a cop. His victim is lucky the cops responding didn’t plant a gun and dope on him.
McLelland accepted a one-day suspension. That’s appropriate for the accident, which could have happened to anyone. It’s not appropriate for the coverup. McLelland’s account of the accident, proven false by video, calls into serious question his fitness for the job.
I’ll give the chief some benefit of the doubt on stopping, since most folks would say they stopped in the same situation, and would be shocked to see video demonstrating they didn’t. I do think the City of Houston needs to have a very clear policy on the use of cell phones while driving on official business, and that policy should be Zero use at all while the vehicle is in gear. That includes every police officer in town, who seem to live with their phones glued to their ear.
[…] OTHERS: Isn’t the Coverup Always Worse? – Mark Bennett, Defending People. […]