NEWS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW
Police: 22 Dallas officers suspended for policy violations
By JAKE BLEIBERG
DALLAS (AP) — More than 20 Dallas police officers have been suspended without pay after an internal investigation found they failed to account for money won in gambling stings, document their use of police funds and properly place seized property into evidence, among other policy violations, officials announced Wednesday.
None of the detectives and supervisors, who previously served on the city’s vice squad, will face criminal charges because prosecutors determined the nearly three-year investigation found “insufficient evidence” that the law was broken, the police department said.
The group acknowledged some policy violations but poor documentation prevented investigators from determining what happened to some of the funds and seized gambling machines, according to the department. Some officers were accused of giving internal affairs detectives false or misleading statements.
Twenty-two officers received between three and 20 days suspension without pay, according to a department memo released Wednesday. A police spokeswoman said one officer was previously given a written reprimand.
“Though not popular, these actions were necessary to create a more efficient department and bring us closer to our goals as a world class department,” Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé Hall said.
The vice unit seized nearly 4,000 gambling machines and more than $852,000 between 2014 and 2017, according to the department memo.
The memo, dated June 2019, also noted about 1,650 of the machines remain unaccounted for, but it’s unclear how much money is at stake in the alleged policy violations.
American Airlines pilots sue to halt flights to China
By DAVID KOENIG
DALLAS (AP) — The pilots’ union at American Airlines sued to stop the carrier from flying to China and told members not to operate flights there because of the spreading coronavirus outbreak.
The Allied Pilots Association, which represents American’s 15,000 pilots, asked a state district court in Dallas for an injunction to halt the flights immediately. The union cited declarations by international health experts that the virus is a public health emergency.
“The safety and well-being of our crews and passengers must always be our highest priority — first, last, and always,” union President Eric Ferguson said in a statement.
Dallas officers disciplined for offensive social media posts
By JAKE BLEIBERG
DALLAS (AP) — More than a dozen Dallas police officers have been disciplined for making offensive statements on social media, including posts that were bigoted or made light of police violence.
The police department announced Thursday that 13 officers whose posts violated department policy would receive punishments ranging from a written reprimand to unpaid suspension.
Two more cases are still being reviewed and one officer resigned, the department said in a statement and memo on the disciplinary measures. The officers can appeal their punishments.
“It is imperative that we operate with the highest level of ethics and integrity to ensure that the public is confident in the legitimacy of who we are as a law enforcement agency,” Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé Hall said.
Man arrested in slaying of 2 sisters at Texas dormitory
COMMERCE, Texas (AP) — A man has been arrested in the fatal shooting at a university dormitory in Texas of a woman believed to be his ex-girlfriend and her sister and the wounding of a 2-year-old boy, school officials said Tuesday.
Texas A&M University-Commerce said Jacques Dshawn Smith, 21, was arrested on a charge of capital murder in the shooting deaths Monday of Deja Matts, 19, and Abbaney Matts, 20, at Pride Rock residence hall on the campus in Commerce, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Dallas.
Officials said Deja Matts, of the Dallas suburb of Garland, was a freshman at the university pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public health.
Officials said Smith is believed to be the ex-boyfriend of Abbaney Matts. Neither Abbaney Matts nor Smith were students at the school.
The wounded 2-year-old was Abbaney Matts’ son. The child has been released from the hospital and is being cared for by family, officials said.
In October, two people were killed and a dozen others injured in an off-campus shooting at a homecoming and Halloween party involving Texas A&M-Commerce students.
Management of Aretha Franklin’s estate still unsettled
By ED WHITE
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A lawyer for a son of Aretha Franklin asked a judge Tuesday to keep an eye on professional fees paid by the late singer’s estate, the latest jab in a dispute over assets left by the Queen of Soul.
Separately, the judge set a March 3 hearing on a request by Franklin’s niece to step aside as personal representative, or executor, of the estate.
Franklin died with a formal will in August 2018.Her estate was worth an estimated $17 million last summer, although the family has been squabbling since last spring when handwritten wills were found in her home.
A 2014 document indicates that Franklin wanted Kecalf Franklin to run her estate. A niece, Sabrina Owens, now fills the role, but she wants to give up the job, citing a “right” in the family.
AT&T: 4Q Earnings Snapshot
DALLAS (AP) _ AT&T Inc. (T) reported fourth-quarter earnings of $2.39 billion.
On a per-share basis, the Dallas-based company said it had profit of 33 cents. Earnings, adjusted for asset impairment costs and amortization costs, were 89 cents per share.
The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 19 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 88 cents per share.
The telecommunications company posted revenue of $46.82 billion in the period, which fell short of Street forecasts. Seventeen analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $46.9 billion.
For the year, the company reported profit of $13.9 billion, or $1.89 per share. Revenue was reported as $181.19 billion.
AT&T shares have fallen 1% since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has climbed slightly more than 1%. The stock has risen 26% in the last 12 months.
