The Houston Police Officers Union this week endorsed Republican candidate Richard Raymond in his bid to unseat Fort Bend County District Attorney John Healey.
Fort Bend County resident and HPOU Executive Director Mark Clark and HPOU President Gary Blankenship made the announcement.
Clark is a 31 year veteran of the Houston Police Department and has resided in Fort Bend County for 40 years.
HPOU represents all 5,092 Houston Police officers and takes an active interest in area political races.
Raymond’s endorsement by HPOU and other law enforcement leaders, including four-term Fort Bend County Sheriff Milton Wright, appears to be in response to what many law enforcement officers believe is an anti-police bias on the part of Healey and his staff.
HPOU represents all 5,092 Houston Police officers and takes an active interest in area political races.
HPOU has expressed strong dissatisfaction with Healey, taking issue after the DA charged Houston Police Officer Tommy Harris with criminally negligent homicide. Harris was charged in the 2009 death of 30-year-old Nigerian immigrant Syulvanus Okhueleigbe in an incident outside of a Stafford nightclub.
HPOU has argued Harris was only attempting to break up a fight started by Okhueleigbe outside a Stafford nightclub, and that Harris only used “standard police tactics.”
Many, including HPOU, contend Healey is pursuing inflated charges against the officer for political reasons.
By: John Pape on Thu, Jan 28, 2010
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