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San Marcos Police Department Releases 2021 Disciplinary Reports

We have requested the disciplinary actions for the 2021 calendar year on all Civil Service and non-Civil Service law enforcement personnel within the San Marcos Police Department.

The San Marcos Police Department, for budget year 2021 (October 2020 through September 2021), had 108 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) sworn police officers.

The San Marcos Police Department, for budget year 2022 (October 2021 through September 2022) has 111 sworn Police Officers through June 22, 2022.

The department Police Officers, except the Police Chief and the Assistant Police Chief, are all covered under the Civil Service provisions in Texas Legislature.

Since the Civil Service component of Texas Legislature does not account for written actions as disciplinary actions for Civil Service employees, the Human Resource Department does not have records of written disciplinary actions taken upon Police Officers.

Between November 2020 Through June 2022, 38 members of the San Marcos Police Department Have Left the Agency

The San Marcos Police Department have had 38 departures since November 2020 through June 2022. The agency did not give reason for such departures, but did provide information on positions.

Eighteen (18) sworn Police Officers left the department. Seven (7) of the departed Police Officers were in a supervisor or lead role.

Twenty (20) civilians have left the department. Eleven (11) of the departed were Telecommunications Operators; two (2) of which were considered over-hires.

Four Law Enforcement Personnel Were Disciplined in the 2021 Calendar Year

• Officer Miranda McGee

On November 22, 2020, Officer Miranda McGee failed to report to duty at 4 P.M. and had to be contacted by another officer by phone at her residence. She was asleep and consequently 45 minutes late to her assigned shift.

On December 26, 2020, she posted a message on Facebook that was directed to an officer’s spouse. The message stated:

The Department subsequently learned that she had an inappropriate relationship with a coworker that caused disruption in the workplace. Other departmental employees observed social media posts and complained to supervisory staff. An anonymous letter was received on December 17, 2020, from an employee who complained that Officer McGee made disparaging remarks about a coworker’s spouse. When Officer McGee was confronted by her Commander, she eventually told the Commander she had been engaged in a relationship with a married officer, and that she had indeed made disparaging remarks towards the other officers wife. She admitted to sending the other officer a text message that reportedly said:

Officer McGee’s Commander recalls telling Officer McGee to stop all communication with the officer’s spouse. Afterwards, on December 6, 2020, Officer McGee posted the above-referenced Facebook message that was directed toward the officer’s spouse.

Officer McGee’s behaviors continued to impact departmental operations when, on the night of February 11, 2021, at approximately 2:10 A.M., officers were dispatched to her apartment in response to a call from a citizen. The citizen reported a white female was inside a marked patrol unit, screaming and then stumbling away from the vehicle, as if intoxicated. When officers arrived, they located Officer McGee’s unsecured police unit (windows were down) and noticed the mobile data computer was turned on. They also located a slipper next to the vehicle. Upon contacting Officer McGee inside her apartment, they verified the slipper belonged to her and that she was intoxicated.

Officer McGee was suspended for forty (40) hours by Police Chief Albert “Stan” Standridge.

• Assistant Chief Bob Klett

On September 3, 2019, Assistant Chief Bob Klett was appointed interim Police Chief by the City manager. As such, his responsibilities included overall leadership and management of police operations. On October 29, 2020, the Department became aware of a potential Biden/Harris campaign event to be held in San Marcos. This information was not provided by a member or volunteer of the campaign, but appears to have been an advertisement. Interim Chief Klee forwarded the information to the Department. Subsequently, Director of Public Safety Chase Stapp was contacted by a citizen who indicated the Biden/Harris campaign would be stopping in San Marcos on October 30th at 2:30 P.M.

At approximately 3:15 P.M. on October 30, 2020, Chase Stapp received another phone call reference this event, advising him that there was a location change. The called also reported that approximately fifty (50) Trump vehicles were following the Biden/Harris bus. This information was forwarded to Assistant Chief Brandon Winkenwerder, who oversees operations within the Department. Interim Chief Klett was made aware of the updates.

At 3:10 P.M., Police Dispatch received a 911 transfer call from the New Braunfels Police Department regarding the Biden/Harris bus coming into San Marcos. Specifically, a 911 telecommunicator received a request to assist with the bus escort as it was leaving New Braunfels. the telecommunicator relayed to the on-duty patrol supervisor that New Braunfels Police were escorting the Biden bus and that:

Officers were either dispatched or self-dispatched to Interstate-35 to assist with these matters. By late afternoon, Interim Chief Klett was made aware that the Biden/Harris bus did not stop in San Marcos. When a Police Commander texted Interim Chief Klett at 8:22 P.M. on the same date, asking:

Interim Chief Klett responded by saying:

Interim Chief Klett sent another text clarifying the typo, stating:

Assistant Chief Bob Klett was suspended for eight (8) hours by Police Chief Albert “Stan” Standridge.

• Sergeant Ryan Hartman

On January 12, 2021, Sergeant Hartman assisted other officers with a felony traffic stop in response to a theft investigation. The vehicle was located by a corporal, after having fled from the Stripes Convenience Store located at 3939 IH 35 South.

Upon Sergeant Hartman’s arrival, he assisted passenger-side officers with the detention of a male passenger. The male passenger exited the vehicle, whereupon Sergeant Hartman gave him verbal commands. Another officer also gave verbal commands, leading to confusion among the suspect(s).

Instead of recognizing that multiple officers were on scene, thus allowing Sergeant Hartman to transition to a supervisory role, he communicated to others present that he was going to use a Taser against the passenger who had exited the vehicle. In doing so, he went to the suspect, instead of having the suspect come to him. As he approached, the suspect had his hands visible and raised, yet he still used a conducted energy device against the suspect.

Sergeant Hartman used force that was unnecessary and unreasonable, and he failed to provide notice to the suspect that he was going to use such force.

Sergeant Hartman was suspended for forty (40) hours by Police Chief Albert “Stan” Standridge.

• Officer Amy Wright (Greenwood)

On April 4, 2021, Officer Wright (Greenwood) conducted a traffic stop that was recorded via dashcam video and body-worn camera. She stopped a Nissan Altima for speeding – 60 mph in a 45 mph zone. The vehicle stopped at 1702 N IH 35.

The driver was initially uncooperative, rolling her window up and presumably not cooperating with Officer Wright’s (Greenwood’s) lawful detention. Instead of de-escalating, however, she escalated the traffic stop and lost her command presence, professional demeanor, and her decision to arrest the driver of the vehicle based on a non-applicable statute.

During the internal investigation, she admitted to the investigator that she:

By this time in Officer Wright’s (Greenwood’s) tenure she has been a peace officer for one year and four months. Because she failed to de-escalate or even wait for backup to discuss all options, as she has been trained to do, she made the inappropriate decision to arrest the driver for resisting arrest/search/transport.

A more applicable criminal charge would have been interference with public duties. Moreover, because she made the decision to arrest instead of consider other options, she had to use an impact weapon to break the driver’s window.

This was likely an unreasonable and unnecessary use of the impact weapon, as attempts to de-escalate and consider other options may have resulted in no weapons being used against the driver’s property.

Officer Wright (Greenwood) was suspended for twenty (20) hours by Police Chief Albert “Stan” Standridge.

A Couple of Our Other Reads

You may want to learn about the one (1) disciplinary action took by the Kyle Police Department for the 2021 calendar year.

Or you may be interested in reading about potential budget issues within the Hays County Government, affecting Constable workloads.

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