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23. The Drill Instructor
- University of North Texas Press
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280 23 The Drill Instructor H arry Caldwell met the Joe Campos Torres and throw-down gun nightmares head-on and stood stridently in his approach to easing the pains they caused. He delegated little authority and generally rubbed both the street officers and the brass the wrong way. He frequently engaged in his own public relations campaigns without involving anyone else. Caldwell found himself heading a department with extremely low morale dealing with a high crime rate amidst stern criticism from intolerant Hispanic and African-American community leaders. For the first time in his career, Caldwell saw grown men in blue with tears in their eyes because of the lack of public trust caused by the Torres incident. Pappy Bond admitted to Caldwell shortly before announcing his retirement that his nerves couldn’t take being police chief any longer.1 Caldwell inherited a number of controversies. On April 26, 1978, he fired the three officers involved in a notable throw-down case that resulted in the death of Billy Keith Joyvies. They were Sergeant Walter Earl Plaster and Officers John Stephen White and Clarence M. Burkett. Plaster and White were indicted in federal court on charges they conspired to violate Joyvies’ civil rights. Burkett was an unindicted conspirator. In a trial before U.S. District Judge John V. Singleton Jr., Burkett, under a grant of immunity, testified that he fired a .25-caliber automatic pistol provided by his partner, White, who minutes later handed the gun to Plaster. Burkett, later a private investigator, testified that the actions of the officers were necessary to make things flow smoother after Joyvies “obviously dumped” a gun he was firing at the officers during a high-speed chase on July 11, 1975. Singleton issued a directed verdict of acquittal on July 25, 1979, after concluding that the prosecution had produced insufficient evidence. A strong believer in removing police officers who violated rules and regulations, Chief Caldwell was not encouraging about reinstatement of any of the three officers. The Drill Instructor 281 Caldwell dealt with three notable cases (Torres, Webster and Joyvies) that attracted national attention. The news coverage, plus concerned and angry minority citizens, resulted in an action that Caldwell claimed that only he knew about. The chief was unsure of the initiation date of his next big challenge or the particular person who delivered the message to him. Over the years he has claimed in public statements that a high-ranking U.S. Department of Justice official told him in a 1978 phone call that the DOJ was giving serious consideration to placing the Houston Police Department in federal receivership. Caldwell quoted the individual as saying he was on the verge of going to federal court over the matter. It would require the appointment of a master to oversee HPD.2 Caldwell has maintained that he urgently requested that the official give him a month to make improvements in the department. He also asked that the possible move not be made public so the chief could preserve what little morale remained. Efforts to substantiate Caldwell’s account were unsuccessful . The chief has asserted that he was granted a thirty-day reprieve. He immediately put into effect a new policy that said officers could only use deadly force if they felt a life was in imminent danger. The chief also ordered officers P C H C, J , –F , (HPD A) [44.202.209.105] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 15:46 GMT) 282 Houston Blue to remove their beads, shine their shoes and get away from cowboy outfits. Right in the middle of Houston’s rodeo season, he told them they couldn’t wear cowboy boots. In retirement Caldwell admitted getting rid of “this cowboy image” was not his best decision. The chief required sergeants to make raids with officers and issued a mandate requiring every firearm carried by officers to be registered with the department . The chief generally reacted in a hurry. Before he became a Houston police officer, Caldwell was in fact a drill instructor for the United States Marine Corps. From the start of his policing career, the man with the booming voice knew he would not be satisfied until he had a high rank. He rose to lieutenant in no time, his eyes immediately on the next rung on the administrative ladder and his sharp mind constantly aware of the need to have more high-ranking officers in a fast-growing city. People who worked under him knew his...