Comments on: Houston Drug Raid Stats http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/ It rankles me when somebody tries to tell somebody what to do. Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:45:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: ParatrooperJJ http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79209 ParatrooperJJ Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:48:34 +0000 http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79209 You might want to check their figures. I don't know about Texas, but in most states they can only charge for the copies, not the labor required to produce the records. You might want to check their figures. I don’t know about Texas, but in most states they can only charge for the copies, not the labor required to produce the records.

]]> By: Robert Guest http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79072 Robert Guest Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:33:05 +0000 http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79072 Yes. Here is the post I wrote on it. http://www.dallascriminaldefenselawyerblog.com/2008/01/dallas_swat_my_bad_wrong_house.html Yes. Here is the post I wrote on it.

http://www.dallascriminaldefenselawyerblog.com/2008/01/dallas_swat_my_bad_wrong_house.html

]]> By: Sean http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79063 Sean Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:56:40 +0000 http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79063 "Houston PD’s open records officer told me that the cost to comply with the first request would be around $45,000. The cost for the second would be $55,000." Am I the only one that finds it difficult to believe that they say that it would take 2-3 employees an entire year to complete the request? “Houston PD’s open records officer told me that the cost to comply with the first request would be around $45,000. The cost for the second would be $55,000.”

Am I the only one that finds it difficult to believe that they say that it would take 2-3 employees an entire year to complete the request?

]]> By: Daniel http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79059 Daniel Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:33:12 +0000 http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79059 Although the records coding system is suspect, at least you seemed to get through to a polite, reasonably bright records officer. As you know, FOIA requests are often denied on questionable grounds, or responded to with bad faith. My request to MoCo for the statistics their planners used to deny Wegmans attempt to build there netted me two columns from an Excel spreadsheet. One showed the names of existing grocery stores, and another had the number of stores for each company. The responding bureaucrat said that this alone showed that there were enough grocery stores to satisfy all residents. Although the records coding system is suspect, at least you seemed to get through to a polite, reasonably bright records officer.

As you know, FOIA requests are often denied on questionable grounds, or responded to with bad faith. My request to MoCo for the statistics their planners used to deny Wegmans attempt to build there netted me two columns from an Excel spreadsheet. One showed the names of existing grocery stores, and another had the number of stores for each company. The responding bureaucrat said that this alone showed that there were enough grocery stores to satisfy all residents.

]]> By: Lee http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79049 Lee Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:58:41 +0000 http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79049 Robert, Have you gotten the information back yet? Other inquiring DFW minds want to know ;) Robert,

Have you gotten the information back yet?

Other inquiring DFW minds want to know ;)

]]> By: Robert Guest http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79015 Robert Guest Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:32:28 +0000 http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79015 I filed the same request for Dallas. However, I had a much smaller window- 2007. It cost about $50. I would suggest narrowing the search to wrong house raids. That helped me keep costs down. I filed the same request for Dallas. However, I had a much smaller window- 2007. It cost about $50.

I would suggest narrowing the search to wrong house raids. That helped me keep costs down.

]]> By: dmoynihan http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79012 dmoynihan Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:27:10 +0000 http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79012 Maybe get a Soros grant to pay for it? ... and a staff :) Maybe get a Soros grant to pay for it?

… and a staff :)

]]> By: Patrick http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79011 Patrick Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:26:18 +0000 http://www.theagitator.com/2008/03/10/houston-drug-raid-stats/#comment-79011 One facet you haven't explained is whether or not arrest warrants are included in those warrant statistics. 17 complaints about warrants services which includes arrest warrants is not a high number for a city the size of Huston. Consider how many arrest warrants must issue each day from the courts in Huston. People who fail to appear, complaints that are filed, violations of probation, parole etc, all are considered warrants. If you were specifically talking about search warrants, I'd say that the police dept probably didn't differentiate, based on the way the response is worded in your post. Of course with the enough manipulation, one can make statistics support almost any premise. One facet you haven’t explained is whether or not arrest warrants are included in those warrant statistics. 17 complaints about warrants services which includes arrest warrants is not a high number for a city the size of Huston. Consider how many arrest warrants must issue each day from the courts in Huston. People who fail to appear, complaints that are filed, violations of probation, parole etc, all are considered warrants. If you were specifically talking about search warrants, I’d say that the police dept probably didn’t differentiate, based on the way the response is worded in your post. Of course with the enough manipulation, one can make statistics support almost any premise.

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