March 2013 Dallas Police Shield

 

I usually try and stay focused on one year while writing this column over the years. I happen to have a few articles from several different years that I’ve found that didn’t make the Shield. So here goes.

In November 1971 a Dallas Police officer was indicted by the Dallas County grand jury for altering a public record, or ticket fixing as is more commonly known. The officer had been assigned as a bailiff in the Municipal Court after he was injured in an on-duty motorcycle crash.

This action was a result of a police department investigation where it was discovered a ticket fixing scheme that was allegedly masterminded by the 51 year old officer. The tickets he was accused of doctoring were picked up from several businesses in The Grove. Then these businesses would share in the fees required to get the tickets fixed. Or something like that.

 Chief Frank Dyson then suspended the policy of assigning officers to bailiff duty in the wake of the investigation. City and court officials apparently met soon after the discovery to install tighter safeguards in processing tickets.

Also in 1969 the DPD Tactical unit traveled to Ft.Hood to receive training in riot control. Due to the urban unrest at the time it was thought that this was needed. As we’ve discussed before, Dallas was spared most of the riots that happened on college campuses about the war in Vietnam and other social issues of the time.

Yes, lucky for us, the nearby university of choice, SMU was not then or now a hotbed of radicalism. BMW’s yes. 1960’s radical movements like the SDS, SNCC or Weather Underground no.

Dallas did have their share of problems however in the hot summer of 1969. On June 25th of that year firefighters were called to a fire at 1900 block of Record Crossing. This was the second night of trouble in the area, where bogus calls for the fire department would be called in, at which time citizens would throw rocks and chunks of concrete at the firefighters and police. This night there was a massive fire in a building, plus two cars and also a grass fire was blazing. As the fireman battled the inferno, at least one shot was fired at a fire chief’s car. Rocks were thrown by nearby citizens at several fire trucks.

 On this second night of chaos, Deputy Fire Chief D.C. Lester ordered all fire equipment pulled back to the departments training tower at 1500 Record Crossing. He stated that he would not order fire personnel back into the area unless escorted by police.

 October 19, 1969 found a burglary suspect who lived on Fourth Avenue near Fair Park in Parkland hospital in critical condition. He had been shot in the head by Dallas Police after police received a call about a pre-dawn burglary in progress at the Safeway store at 2919 Cedar Crest.

Two other suspects who were with the shot burglar, remained at large. Police surprised the three men who were in the act of removing cigarette cartons from the store through a hole knocked in a plate glass window.

Officers chased after two of the bad guys who ran into a field west of the store. They outran the officers and escaped. Officer R.K. Abshire then said he saw an up to that time unknown third suspect suddenly jump up from a hiding place near the suspect’s still running vehicle.

Officer Abshire shouted several warnings before opening fire, hitting the third suspect.  Officers determined that the suspect vehicle was also used in an earlier burglary of a lumber company at 3025 Grand Avenue. In this incident the intruders made a run for it on foot with a security guard in hot pursuit.  As fate would have it, Officer Abshire was one of the responding officers at this late night burglary as well. He along with Officer Brashear opened up with a pistol and shotgun as the suspects ran at the officers after being discovered. One burglary suspect was nicked in the head by a shotgun pellet, and later was jailed with his burglary buddies at 106 S.Harwood.  

Police said that the suspects had moved a safe to the front door and apparently were about to load it into a car when officers arrived. A fourth man, driving the same car used in the Cedar Crest burglary, got away.