Video equipment to be installed in Gregg County constable’s vehicle

Published 6:06 pm Monday, November 29, 2021

The sole Gregg County constable’s vehicle without the ability to record video will soon be equipped with a dashboard camera.

On Monday, county commissioners unanimously accepted the resignation of Pct. 2 Constable Billy Fort, who was arrested in October and then pleaded guilty on Nov. 18 to driving his official vehicle while intoxicated. He was in his county vehicle at the time of his arrest. Fort also submitted his letter of resignation on Nov. 18 as part of his plea agreement.

Sheriff Maxey Cerliano informed county commissioners Monday that the vehicle Fort used did not have video recording equipment installed, nor did Fort use a body camera.

Cerliano said that as elected officials, constables are responsible for choosing whether or not they use video recording devices such as body and in-car camera systems in their respective precincts.

Any constable that operates a camera system is required to have a use policy that is submitted to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement for approval, Cerliano said.

Constables of Precincts 1, 3 and 4 all have camera systems and approved policies that they follow, Cerliano said. Precinct 2 was the only one that did not.

Precinct 1 Constable Mike Grisham said its policy for video and audio equipment comes as part of its Racial Profiling Policy and is based on the system the Gregg County sheriff’s office uses.

Precinct 3 Constable John Slagle said he and his fellow constables have adopted similar policies as each other and the sheriff’s office.

Slagle said that the only requirement on how and when to use the video and audio equipment pertains to traffic stops and racial profiling. Otherwise, constables can discontinue a recording in any other situation for any reason.

Grisham said he thinks that opting out of camera equipment is a bad idea, as cameras are needed for the job.

Cerliano said he could not answer for Fort why he opted to not have cameras in his vehicle or on his person.

However, he said the absence of that equipment did not affect Fort’s arrest or subsequent court case. Longview police arrested Fort.

As part of Fort’s resignation, he had to permanently surrender his peace officer’s license. The resignation is effective Dec. 31, when Fort enters his retirement.

Commissioners on Monday approved Cerliano’s $6,500 budget transfer request to purchase a WatchGuard Video Bundle for the Precinct 2 constable’s vehicles.

Cerliano said this will allow the precinct to be ahead of the curve by having the equipment installed by the time a new constable is appointed.

“I believe it’s incumbent upon all of us to make sure that whoever that person is has the equipment to work with,” Cerliano said.

County Judge Bill Stoudt said the process for appointing a replacement constable for precinct 2 is underway. Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Tim Bryan is interviewing people and will present the appointment to commissioners when someone has been chosen, Stoudt said.

“We’re taking our time on this one. It’s a very important position in terms of working with the courts and serving papers and we’d like a seasoned law enforcement background,” Stoudt said.

Elections Administrator Jennifer Briggs said if a constable is appointed before the next constable election in 2024, that person would have to run on the 2022 ballot under “unexpired term.”

This means that the individual was not elected to the position, but is completing a prior term after being appointed to do so.

Briggs said she expects that at least two constables’ positions will run for unexpired terms, in Precinct 2 and Precinct 4 where Darryl Gregg also was appointed to fill a position left vacant by the previous constable’s resignation.