HPD SUCKS

A METRO Transit Authority worker has resigned after Local 2 Investigates’ hidden cameras found him dodging duty and visiting pornography stores instead of helping stranded motorists.

“I know I’m going to get fired if y’all run this,” said 51-year-old METRO Motorist Assistance Program (MAP) worker David Richard, as he faced a TV camera while leaving his second X-rated video store of the day while on duty.He was among several MAP workers found relaxing and avoiding the stranded drivers they were assigned to help over a two-month period.Richard, a 31-year METRO employee, was recorded for hours at a time during numerous work-days, leaning back in his seat while parked under shade-trees. He sometimes exited his vehicle only to buy snacks, while repeatedly ignoring stranded motorists a short distance from his truck.When asked for an explanation, he said, “It won’t do any good, will it?”On several days, his daily work reports reflected that he claimed to be helping broken down motorists across town, when he was really being recorded inside X-rated video stores for hours or killing time in his truck.”I wasn’t trying to trick anybody. I wasn’t trying to trick anybody,” said Richard.A reporter then asked what work he was actually accomplishing for the taxpayers he served. He answered, “I understand your point, sir. I understand. I just wish y’all wouldn’t run this.”On the day that cameras confronted him outside his second porn-shopping excursion, on Sept. 14, 2010, Local 2 Investigates had started following him at 3:56 p.m. and concluded talking with him on the northwest side of Houston at 6 p.m.The manager of the X-rated video store, who asked that his name and his business name be withheld, said METRO MAP vehicles had been stopping there on numerous occasions in the past. He said, “I wouldn’t call them regular customers, but they’re here.”On that date, cameras were rolling as Richard visited a different X-rated video store for 20 minutes along the Hempstead Highway in northwest Houston. He then left to stop in a second video store off Pinemont near Hollister for nearly an hour, while his official daily work record reflected four separate entries where he claimed to be helping motorists on the opposite side of town in far southeast Houston.

• At 4:10 p.m., his handwritten report showed he claimed to be helping a broken down motorist in the 1000 block of the Gulf Freeway at “Main.”
• He then listed that he helped a driver at 12800 Gulf Freeway at Fuqua.
• His next listing showed he helped another motorist at 5:30 p.m. at Airport.
• The report then shows a final stranded motorist being helped at Gulf Freeway near Broadway at 6:20 p.m.

In each case, METRO Police Department leaders say he filled in license numbers of the vehicles he supposedly helped. Those license numbers were redacted in the records provided to Local 2 Investigates, but police say they are now trying to contact the people whose cars bear those license plate numbers as part of a felony criminal investigation.”We have already been in consultation with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. We have initiated a criminal investigation into that,” said Tom Lambert, METRO’s vice president over the police department.He said it was unclear whether Richard simply wrote down license plates he spotted in a parking lot or simply made up the license plate numbers in his official daily work report.In all, Local 2 Investigates found 11 motorists listed as being helped when cameras were rolling on Richard killing time somewhere else.Felony charges of falsifying a government document could be lodged because of those entries, according to Lambert.”We’re embarrassed by it. It’s not something that we expect should be happening. It’s not something we condone to happen and so we’re disappointed that it happened,” said Lambert, who thanked Local 2 Investigates for bringing it to his attention.Among the false work report entries in the records provided to Local 2 Investigates:

• On Aug. 6, 2010, he was recorded leaning back inside his truck in a business parking lot away from the Gulf Freeway near Park Place from 4:01 p.m. until 6:26 p.m. His record shows he helped one motorist during that time.
• On Aug. 18, 2010, he was recorded from 4:15 p.m. until 7 p.m. without helping a single motorist. He spent an hour inside a restaurant in the city of South Houston and then drove past two stranded trucks on the side of the road before parking his truck a-half block away from an X-rated video store on the Gulf Freeway near Howard. He emerged two hours later with a white bag in hand. In his report, he listed that he was helping three separate motorists during that time.
• On Aug. 19, 2010, he was recorded from 4:15 p.m. until 4:45 p.m. parked behind a Whataburger restaurant while listing that he was helping one disabled motorist.
• On Aug. 30, 2010, hidden cameras spotted him between 4:43 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., parked for most of that time outside a Chinese restaurant where people were having car trouble in the same parking lot. He provided no help to them, but his report shows he assisted two separate motorists during that time.

On another day, Sept. 2, 2010, he was recorded helping no motorists while parked outside a McDonalds restaurant near Interstate 45 and Fuqua from 4:24 p.m. until 6:26 p.m. He was recorded leaving his truck only once to buy snacks at a nearby convenience store before heading downtown to end his shift. His official report correctly reflects he helped no motorists.On this day, a driver broke down on the Gulf Freeway just 60 yards away from where Richard was leaning back in his truck for hours. Richard was recorded stepping out of his truck and staring at the driver, but offering no assistance. The driver was seen placing a cellular phone call and a wrecker then arrived to help him on the freeway shoulder.When a reporter asked Richard what he wanted to say to the stranded motorists he was supposed to be helping, Richard answered, “I been doing that, sir.”"Well, I’m fired, sir,” said Richard.When the reporter asked again about leaving so many stranded motorists without help while hidden cameras found him dodging his duty over a two-month period, Richard answered, “I understand your point, sir. I know you’re right. I don’t have any argument.”Richard was confronted by METRO Police leaders in response to the request for his work records filed by Local 2 Investigates, and he resigned his position.Lambert said, “We’re disappointed, we’re embarrassed that it happened. It’s not acceptable, and we’ll continue to build upon to make sure that we don’t have it happen in the future.”The unfortunate reality is you have demonstrated through your observations and through your stories that we were not totally on mark with providing that service,” he said.Lambert said all 13 remaining MAP vehicle workers were called in to discuss what Local 2 Investigates found.”We talked about their integrity in doing their job. We talked about their reports and when they document the log, that they’re expected to report actual findings. We talked about establishing a system where we are going to be periodically monitoring their GPS system,” he said.Each MAP truck is outfitted with a Global Positioning System, but Lambert admitted that supervisors were not paying attention to where their MAP workers were spending time each day.”I’m not going to excuse — You hit on target. There is no excuse. There is no reason to say that’s appropriate. It is not appropriate and we will not shy away from that,” said Lambert.