Some police officers think they are above the law, using private information of those arrested for their own gain. That’s what one cop in Texas thought before he got fired without pay and charged with a felony. The 40-year-old officer stands accused of obtaining the phone numbers of at least two arrestees and calling them for “inappropriate reasons.”
Officer fired and charged after messaging arrestees for “inappropriate reasons”
On September 9, the Odessa Police Department and the City of Odessa, Texas, announced that the now former police officer Jody Baer has been charged with misuse of official information, which is a 3rd-degree felony, according to a joint statement on the department’s official Facebook page.
Investigators found that Baer had purposefully used the phone numbers of at least two arrestees and used them to “obtain a benefit.”
The statement doesn’t clarify what the officer did that was considered a “benefit” or an “inappropriate reason.” That said, common examples of what counts as misuse of official information by a police office include using the Flock system to track people inappropriately, falsifying official reports, selling private data, or taking bribes.
“Baer’s actions are not only against the Odessa Police Department’s Standard Operating Procedures but also unlawful,” the statement continued. “Baer’s actions erode the trust that the Odessa Police Department works hard to build between the police and our community. His conduct does not reflect the values of the Odessa Police Department and the City of Odessa.”
The post did not share a photo of Baer, only an image of the department’s logo with the text “Keeping You Informed.” However, a mugshot of the former officer was found by Telemundo.
Commenters on Facebook were not pleased with what Baer did. One wrote, “But we have been told over and over this won’t happen. WTH happened. There are no checks and balances when only one side has all the toys.”
Another said, “If y’all were keeping us informed you wouldn’t be throwing up roadblocks to FOIA requests concerning Flock cameras.”
