National Night Out 2010
I took some time to meet some of my neighbors on National Night Out. It is nice to take some time to talk to people that I have not seen in a while or merely wave to as I walk my dog. We had the pleasure of having Houston Police Chief, Charles Mcclelland, Jr., attend our party for a while. He made a short speech to the residents. He brought some of his staff with him. One of the police officers that attended with the chief approached my wife, my dog, and me. We started the usual chit chat when he started discussing his theory why crime has increased over the past year. I was curious for a honest opinion so I made sure that I did not tell him that I was a criminal defense attorney. His position was that the increase in crime can be attributed to Harris County District Attorney's Office decision not to accept charges for crack cocaine charges. Since I was not on the "clock" and I did not want to seem rude on a festive night I decided against stating that his comment is only partially true. The Harris District Attorney's Office has recently decided not to accept charges for trace amount of cocaine. A trace amount is barely seen by the naked eye. It is usually found on the instrument that is used. Any amount above a trace is still a state jail, and possession of less than a gram charges will be accepted. Furthermore, a police officer may still arrest a person for a trace amount of cocaine. Thus, if an officer really wants to take someone to jail for a drug charge the opportunity still exists.