TEMPLE, TX — The Temple Police Department has been dealing with numerous incidents for the past few months that have caused controversy.
In response to public inquiries concerning recent officer-involved events, Interim Police Chief Jim Tobin has issued the following statement:
First, I would like to thank the residents of Temple for the support they have shown the Dean family, the officers involved in these incidents and the entire Temple Police Department.
There have been three separate incidents involving Temple officers in a short period of time.
Two of these incidents remain under active criminal investigations conducted by outside agencies, as well as internal investigations being conducted by the Temple Police Department.
The review of the Jan. 14, 2020 arrest of Sergei Hall determined that Officer Jacob Perkins did not violate any of the department's policies or procedures and used minimum force to prevent Hall from being injured by passing traffic.
The Bell County Attorney’s office accepted the criminal charge, and the Temple Police Department is continuing to work with them on this case to provide assistance to Hall in hopes of preventing future incidents.
Temple police officers have worked with Hall in a variety of ways prior to and since this incident.
Officers have had lunch with Hall on numerous occasions, have tried to help him find employment and have been in communication with his family. The goal is to continue to provide Hall with the assistance he needs in order to deter his behavior on public roadways.
Temple officer arrested for DWI
Officer Joseph Clark was arrested Monday by an outside agency on charges of driving while intoxicated. He was treated no differently than any other citizen who is charged with this serious offense. The police department has begun the initial steps of an administrative investigation to determine what policies may have been violated.
In the officer-involved shooting of Michael Dean, the Temple Police Department brought in the Texas Rangers as the lead investigating agency to ensure we had an independent and transparent investigation that was not influenced by this agency.
An internal investigation into this matter is focusing on the officer’s conduct to determine if the officer violated any Temple Police Department policies or local rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission.
In any administrative investigation, it is imperative that this department's administration follow guidelines and procedures identified by the Meet and Confer Agreement between the Temple Police Association and the City of Temple; Local Government Code Chapter 143; and Temple Police Department’s policies.
The goal of this department when an officer is under investigation is to support the individual as a member of the department and as a human being while also holding them accountable if they have violated any of the department’s policies or procedures.
We have a total of 154 police officers serving our city. I do not want the work of our other officers to be overshadowed by these three isolated incidents or have incidents define this department. The men and women of the Temple Police Department have continued their commitment to serve our community throughout these difficult times and will continue to do so after the final dispositions.
