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Welcome to the Coastal Bend Peace Officers Association
Serving the Coastal Bend and it's Officers Since 1966.
"Blue thunder" fundraiser
May 18, 2024
Blue Thunder is putting on a fundraiser for the general public at Fajitaville North Beach, Corpus Christi .There will be food truck vendors, helicopter Rides. There will be some Fire, Police and EMS personnel that will be doing demonstrations, putting up a booth and doing some recruitment. This will be open to the general public so they can get a chance to understand and talk with first responders and see what they do on it every day basis.
If any department would like to set up a Booth and or do some recruiting/demonstration for the public contact Daniel Perkins at361-230-1928.
ATTENTION ALL COASTAL BEND members
We Need Your Help!
In case you haven’t noticed, but the CBPOA is in need of a meeting or two. The problem is that other than Nueces County offering to host a meeting in October, no other agency has stepped up to offer.
What can you do? Talk it over ASAP and contact one of the two officers below, and let’s see if we can get a meeting held this summer. Sound impossible? Not at all. Let’s get the ball rolling. Contact:
Secretary/Treasurer Charity Franco:
CBPOA President Adrian Rodriguez:
national public safety telecommunications week
We Salute You!
Every first responder, whose lives are on the line each time they answer the call for service, have their telecommunicators to thank for his or her safety. While the week of April 14-20, 2024 is set aside to recognize what they do for us, we salute them each and every day.
The latest episode of "10-8/10-41" is now available
Chief Kevin Behr
Our guest for this podcast episode of "10-8/10-41" is Kevin Behr, Chief of Police of the Beeville Police Department.
You can catch the episode streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Podcasts.
Meet your 2024 cbpoa directors
Want to Meet Your 2024 President & Directors?
Click on the "Our Directors and History" page to see our updated list.
blue thunder for the first responders
Improving The Quality of Life Of The First Responder
This organization is made up of TRAINED first responders (FIRE, POLICE, MEDICAL PERSONNEL) who are dedicated in helping other first responders with STRESS/PTSD (PEER TO PEER TEAM SUPPORT.)
This will give the first responders a place to relax in a stress-free environment and talk with other first responders that have been in the same situation or a situation of their own.
This organization has been receiving overwhelming support from the public, companies and other first responders. We greatly appreciate all the help that you give.
What is so unique about this program is that it will be mostly conducted on a boat/vessel so the first responder does not feel enclosed, and that it will give him or her a chance to connect with nature and talk at the same time. This program will be extended to the family members, as well as the first responder.
Who To Contact For More Information And Help
Daniel Perkins
(361) 230-1928
Email: Firedept1308@yahoo.com
Facebook: Blu Thunder 1
Blue Thunder is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization
Applications for CBPOA scholarships being accepted
Apply Now
Applications for CBPOA scholarships are being accepted for children of current CBPOA members, and who wish to pursue a career in law enforcement. To obtain an application and to see the requirements, go to the bottom of this home page and download the "Scholarship Application" and "Scholarship Requirements."
some scenes from our November 2023 meeting in beeville. thanks to sheriff southmayd, chief behr and sheriff gonzales for co-hosting
Ring will no longer provide doorbell camera video to police
Most Agencies Are Not Worried About The Impact
By Haleluya Hadero
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Amazon-owned Ring will stop allowing police departments to request doorbell camera footage from users, marking an end to a feature that has drawn criticism from privacy advocates.
In a blog post on Wednesday, Ring said it will sunset the “Request for Assistance” tool, which allows police departments and other public safety agencies to request and receive video captured by the doorbell cameras through Ring’s Neighbors app.
The company did not provide a reason for the change, which will be effective starting this week.
Eric Kuhn, the head of Neighbors, said in the announcement that law enforcement agencies will still be able to make public posts in the Neighbors app. Police and other agencies can also still use the app to “share helpful safety tips, updates, and community events,” Kuhn said.
The update is the latest restriction Ring has made to police activity on the Neighbors app following concerns raised by privacy watchdogs about the company’s relationship with police departments across the country.
Critics have stressed the proliferation of these relationships – and users’ ability to report what they see as suspicious behavior - can change neighborhoods into a place of constant surveillance and lead to more instances of racial profiling.
In a bid to increase transparency, Ring changed its policy in 2021 to make police requests publicly visible through its Neighbors app. Previously, law enforcement agencies were able to send Ring owners who lived near an area of an active investigation private emails requesting video footage.
“Now, Ring hopefully will altogether be out of the business of platforming casual and warrantless police requests for footage to its users,” Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst at the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Law enforcement agencies can still access videos using a search warrant. Ring also maintains the right to share footage without user consent in limited circumstances.
In mid-2022, Ring disclosed it handed over 11 videos to police without notifying users that year due to “exigent or emergency” circumstances, one of the categories that allow it to share videos without permission from owners. However, Guariglia, of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the group remains skeptical about the ability of police and the company to determine what is or is not an emergency.
Last summer, Ring agreed to pay $5.8 million to settle with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that the company let employees and contractors access user videos. Furthermore, the agency said Ring had inadequate security practices, which allowed hackers to control consumer accounts and cameras. The company disagrees with those claims.
Il. court to decide if smell of weed justify vehicle searcH
Appellate courts have split on the issue since marijuana possession was legalized in 2020
By Robert McCoppin
Chicago Tribune
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — An issue that has tied lower courts in knots — whether the odor of cannabis alone is grounds for police to search a vehicle — is now before the Illinois Supreme Court.
Appellate courts have split over the question, forcing the high court to make the call. At issue are efforts to keep the roads safe and prevent illegal trafficking, while protecting a constitutional right against unreasonable searches.
Before legalization, courts had long held that the smell of marijuana was grounds for a search, defense attorney James Mertes conceded during arguments before the Supreme Court earlier this month. But Mertes argued that once possession of small amounts of recreational pot became legal under state law in 2020, smell no longer is per se evidence of a crime.
“The odor of cannabis is now an aroma of legality,” Mertes told the high court.
Prosecutors countered that state law makes it illegal to transport cannabis without a sealed, odor-proof container, and it’s still illegal to get or be high while driving.
In a somewhat unusual circumstance, the court consolidated two new cases with opposite appellate rulings on the issue.
In Henry County in 2020, a state trooper stopped Ryan Redmond driving a Kia SUV for having a dangling license plate and driving 3 mph over the speed limit on Interstate 80 in western Illinois. The trooper testified that I-80 is a “known drug corridor” connecting known hubs of criminal activity in Des Moines, Iowa, and Chicago.
The trooper testified that he smelled a strong odor of burnt cannabis coming from the vehicle. When he searched it, he found about a gram of pot — enough for a couple of joints. Redmond was charged with misdemeanor possession.
The trial judge ruled that the smell alone was not sufficient probable cause to believe a crime was committed, and therefore not enough to justify a search. Otherwise, Circuit Court Associate Judge Daniel Dalton ruled, a person who exercised the state law right to possess and smoke cannabis would give up his right to be protected from unreasonable searches.
Dalton dismissed the charges, and the 3rd District appellate court upheld that ruling.
But in Whiteside County, also in 2020, a state trooper said he smelled raw cannabis in a motor vehicle, and upon searching it found a small cardboard box with several rolled joints inside, and a plastic container in the glove box with suspected cannabis inside. The passenger, Vincent Molina, who is Mertes’ client, was charged with possession, and the same judge, Dalton, threw out the case.
The judge presides over multiple counties, parts of which are overseen by different appellate courts.
The 4th District Appellate Court overturned the ruling in the Molina case, noting that despite the legalization of small amounts of cannabis under state law, a person still may not use marijuana while driving or drive while impaired.
In hearing oral arguments this month, Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis’ questions focused primarily on impaired driving.
“There’s a real concern that I think everyone embraces, that we don’t want people who are really really high driving down our highways,” she said. “We’re very worried about that.”
Defense attorney Bruce Carmen conceded that concern, but said in the case of Redmond, his client, there were no signs of impairment, noting that the smell of pot can cling to clothes long after smoking. Just as the smell of alcohol alone is not sufficient for a search, officers may consider it and conduct a field sobriety test or question the driver to see if there is any other evidence of a crime.
Justice P. Scott Neville also questioned whether the smell of cannabis alone would justify a search of a person walking down the street.
Historically, there has also been a racial disparity in vehicle searches.
Police in Illinois were three times more likely to attempt searches of Black drivers compared with white drivers, though black drivers had contraband only half as often as whites, the state Department of Transportation found in a 2006 study. The matter before the Supreme Court involves two minority defendants: Redmond is African American and Molina is Latino.
The justice system has to be careful, Carmen said, to make sure that such searches are not just a pretext for a fishing expedition without legal justification.
Prosecutors for Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul suggested that the circumstances may affect searches for smoked cannabis, but that the smell of raw cannabis alone suggests a violation of the vehicle code requirement to have it in a sealed, odor-proof container.
“Possible innocent explanations do not mean there is not probable cause (for a search),” Ness said.
Some state supreme courts, in Minnesota, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, have ruled that a cannabis odor does not justify a search, while the high court in Wisconsin, where pot remains illegal, ruled it was grounds for a search.
Last year, state Sen. Rachel Ventura, a Democrat from Joliet, introduced a bill to prohibit police from searching a vehicle based on an odor of burnt or raw cannabis alone.
The measure passed the Senate and is before the House, but Ventura told the Tribune she’s holding off on the bill to see what the court does.
Constituents and even another lawmaker had complained about getting stopped and searched by police who said they smelled marijuana but found nothing, Ventura said.
“Cannabis is a legal substance in Illinois,” she said, “so we should stop treating it as if it’s evidence that the person has done something wrong.”
Police still generally may search a vehicle without a warrant if the driver gives them permission, or if they take possession of the vehicle after an arrest, accident or tow, and conduct an “inventory search.”
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About Us
Serving the Coastal Bend and it's Officers Since 1966
Serving the Coastal Bend and it's Officers Since 1966
Serving the Coastal Bend and it's Officers Since 1966
"The purpose of the CBPOA shall be to promote the cooperation and understanding of all persons involved in the enforcement of laws of the State of Texas and of the United States; the continued and convenient interchange of information and training between various Federal, State and local agencies, and to conduct ourselves in a manner that
"The purpose of the CBPOA shall be to promote the cooperation and understanding of all persons involved in the enforcement of laws of the State of Texas and of the United States; the continued and convenient interchange of information and training between various Federal, State and local agencies, and to conduct ourselves in a manner that will gain the respect of those we serve and to constantly strive to improve our position.'
Scholarships
Serving the Coastal Bend and it's Officers Since 1966
Serving the Coastal Bend and it's Officers Since 1966
The Coastal Bend Peace Officers Association is responsible for awarding thousands of dollars of scholarship money each year to qualified and responsible sons and daughters of CBPOA members who wish to carry on the tradition of law enforcement and law enforcement related fields.
Our Members
Serving the Coastal Bend and it's Officers Since 1966
Our Members
Whether you help through providing meeting locations, volunteering your time, or spreading our mission through word-of-mouth, thank you. We couldn't accomplish our goals without the help of members like you.