Criminal Interdiction Unit disbandment upsets agencies

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The fallout continues following Interim Nueces County District Attorney James Granberry’s resolution to dismantle the DA’s Criminal Interdiction Unit. 

Granberry additionally making the selection to fireside each Mike Tamez, the unit’s manager, and every other officer from this system. 3NEWS spoke with space regulation enforcement leaders who expressed their unhappiness.

All in combination, there are 5 agencies that made up the unit. 

The transfer is one thing that would go away the ones agencies with out the backup this system had equipped throughout primary crime occasions.

“To be completely honest with you, it’s a little disheartening,” stated Bishop Police Department Chief Edward Day. 

Day stated he can not 2nd wager why Granberry made the verdict to kill this system, however he stated there is no denying the legal interdiction unit labored, benefitting the small the city police division made up of simply 8 officials. 

“I know the officers that were assigned to that team did amazing work it shows in the statistics and the cases they brought,” Day stated. 

The unit was once stated to be a pressure multiplier for small departments when confronted with large crime. 

“There’s definitely a need for that type of law enforcement, being a small community we work alongside Highway 77 it’s a major drug corridor into the United States and if a team like this isn’t out there, who is going to be out there and fill that void, and that’s my question,” Day stated.

Along with the Bishop Police Department, different agencies incorporated Robstown PD in addition to the Nueces County Constables administrative center for each Precinct 3 and Precinct 5. Together, they equipped backup for each and every different when undertaking visitors stops, house raids, or sport room busts. 

“A lot of small departments are limited in resources and the main focus is patrol and answering calls for service and some of those crimes that take a little more time to investigate kind of fall to the wayside,” he stated. 

Precinct 5 Constable Oscar Mendoza and Precinct 3 Constable Jimmy Rivera stated in addition they felt unhappiness in Granberry’s resolution however will proceed with their each day tasks.

“I was very surprised.  It was a very effective team as far as CIU goes being that we are a small department we don’t have the resources as other big agencies, it was great to combine the resources and make an impact in the community it was very effective,” Mendoza stated. 

“When you have an effective team made up of a multitude of agencies you get a bigger response, punch a bigger whole in this, especially with the magnitude amount of drugs and money we seized, it’s unreal,” stated Rivera.

Day stated he hopes the partnerships will come in combination and work out a solution to stay this system going with out the district lawyer’s administrative center. 

“I really hope someone comes in and fills that void because its definitely needed here in Nueces County and the citizens deserve it as well,” Day stated.

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