I know there was a bill to allow prosecutor's and staff members to keep their addresses private at the Tax Assessors office, does anyone know if it passed? I have a defendant that is trying really hard to get my address.

Thanks!

John

HB 1141:

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB1141

Personally I think its a dumb bill only designed to provide a very false -- very false -- sense of security. After all, if some "bad guy" has plans on hurting you, there's nothing you can do to stop a relatively determined adversary. All he (or she) has to do is follow you home from work and then they will know where you live.

Nothing hi-tech about that.

Work is the one place that you absolutely have to be on a very regular basis, so it makes a logical starting point for the bad guy. Thats why all this courthouse security is a bunch of nonsense! You don't have to do someone in at the courthouse when its easier, and less risky, to catch them on the way home at the 7/11 or wherever.

On another matter, I think such a bill would be subject to legal challenge. By keeping property tax information a secret for a certain segment of the population you create the possibility that some financial wrongdoing might take place, or you at least create the perception. And how else would the public know whether or not you are, in fact, paying your property taxes as you should in the correct amount. People have been known to run for public office who have also failed to pay their fair share of taxes. People have been known to get insider deals on property purchases for less than what the property is really worth.

Keeping the tax info a secret goes against openess of government and serves no valid purpose.

If someone wants to get you, they will. Even a President cannot have perfect security. All it takes is some crazy guy with a gun.

As terrible as it is, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that all you really need to do is follow someone home from work. God forbid that anything should actually happen, I just do not think that a bill like this offers anything in the way of security.

What do you think?

I think that is big talk for someone who goes by initials and no info on his profile. ;-)

Having said that, I like the small measure of privacy afforded by the bill. Let's face it, most crooks are not terribly bright and are pretty lazy. I just don't need to take out an ad with my address. What's so bad about making it a fraction more difficult to stalk me? And I say this after having a police escort late at night after a nasty verdict for a defendant whose family is staring me down in the courtroom.

If you want to learn how to keep a bad guy from tailing you, read the book, "The French Connection."

At least, that was the advise of the KGB to that US Navy petty officer spy that got caught about 15 years ago. I read in an article he complained to his KGB handler that he hadn't been given any tradecraft training in avoiding being followed. The KGB man recommended he read The French Connection. That was it. He didn't even buy him a copy of the book to read.

I haven't actually read The French Connection. It may have lots of stuff about jumping on and off of subways, etc., which really wouldn't help a prosecutor out in the Tulis. For you countryboy prosecutors, I recommend getting a couple of black mouth cur dogs, plus a Keeshound. Keeshounds have the most remarkable hearing of any creature I've known, and they sleep light. But they are cowards. That's where the BMC's come in, because they are not. They will face down anyone to protect their boss. But here's the real beauty of these dogs: they almost never bite; they just look like they are going to eat you alive. Since 99.99% of the time that a dog thinks someone is a threat, they in fact are not, this is a pretty good thing.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dan Bradley:
I think that is big talk for someone who goes by initials and no info on his profile. ;-)
.

---

Dan is funny.

Any measure to help prevent danger to prosecutors is better than none. Since I don't have a paid off house and my mortgage pays my taxes yearly, I have no chance of being a property tax non-payer.

Where is RTC a prosecutor? Let me ask you RTC, has your life ever been threatened by a defendant, their family or friends? By the defendant's fellow gang members? Have you ever had a Sheriff's department escort because the nature of the death threat so concerned your employer and the Sheriff? Have you ever received a death threat in the mail from a documented white supremist group? Have you ever had a defendant threaten your life in the halls of justice as the jury is out on guilt?

Here's what I think RTC: I question how long you have been prosecuting and whether you are a prosecutor with a post like that. The stuff about property taxes is nonsense.

A number of courthouse shootings could have been prevented if security screening had been provided at the time. We probably have more to be wary about inside and around our courthouses than away from them. But I am all for additional privacy. BTW, never give your home address to the State Bar. In the past, it has disclosed addresses to anyone who asks.

JAS

RTC, you don't have to be concerned about elected prosecutors anyway, because they are required to disclose their property information as part of the ethics requirements when they run for office, so even if their tax records were unavailable, you'd have an easy time figuring out what property they own. Elected officials already have to provide an extraordinary amount of information on their personal finances. Are you actually concerned about some citizen wanting to look into the property taxation of assistant prosecutors?

quote:

---

Personally I think its a dumb bill only designed to provide a very false -- very false -- sense of security. After all, if some "bad guy" has plans on hurting you, there's nothing you can do to stop a relatively determined adversary. All he (or she) has to do is follow you home from work and then they will know where you live.

---

Good thing there's a not-so-dumb bill that makes it easier to carry a concealed handgun effective 9-1-07. That may provide a better sense of security.

quote:

---

And how else would the public know whether or not you are, in fact, paying your property taxes as you should in the correct amount.

---

The public would read it in the local newspaper as they do when others don't pay their taxes and their property is being sold in a Sheriff's sale.

Doesn't Texas already do this for certain peace officers? Why not for prosecutors?

I recommend a CHL.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rudy Flores:
I recommend a CHL.

---

And effective 9-1-07, the prosecutors rights to carry with a CHL will be greatly expanded. Nonetheless, any effort in keeping our home locales confidential is a great effort!

GG,

Next time we do lunch, can it be at a place with lots of exits?

P

Sure, and be sure to tell the King of "Exit Only" I said hello next time you see him. Give me a holler soon.

Actually, GG, prior to becoming an ADA, I was an army JAG officer. Having done two tours in Iraq I know first hand what it is like to actually have been shot at, or have people try to blow me up, and have a bounty on my head. I've only on the civilian side for about 8 months.

One thing I learned is that you simply cannot live your life in fear or constently looking over your shoulder. You can't turn your home into your own personal Green Zone, either.

But what you can do is take personal responsibility for your own personal safety. Carrying a gun and knowing how to use it safely is a good first step.

I know that emotions run high in court and that at least 50% of the people are going to be mad at whatever verdict comes down. I always do my best to make sure that I am only prosecuting people whom I am absolutely convinced are 110% guilty. So when a family member gets in my face I can honestly say, "I didn't put your son in jail. He did it himself by his own actions." And deep down inside that mom or dad knows that what I am saying is the truth. They may not like it, but it is what it is.

To me this bill is designed to prevent not a "heat of the moment" incident where something happens right in the courtroom or soon thereafter, but a more 'cold blooded' (for lack of a better term) incident where someone is actually planning on doing you harm so they research your background in order to find out where you live. But, for the reasons I originally stated, this bill will do nothing to prevent just that kind of thing!

As JAS said, we have more to worry about in and around the courthouse because that is where emotions run the hottest. Once that family member or friend has had a chance to go home and cool off, they will have a chance to process what happened and know that you only did what had to be done in a hopefully fair and honest manner.

But this bill won't prevent a heat of the moment kind of thing, nor will it prevent a planned kind of thing.

I might have said it badly above, but my main point is that I am in favor of more openness in government, not less. So bills like this that create less openness, while doing nothing for actual security, I just do not like.

I've never been in the Green zone, or a JAG in a combat zone, but as a former peace officer in Houston I do know a thing or two as well about personal security.

Firearms are wonderful but of course the cardinal rule of gunfighting is that you have to have a gun with you, and HB 1503 goes a long way towards enabling the prosecutor to protect him/her and his/her family away from the office and home.

But I salute those legislators who passed this bill because I worry more about the quiet ones, the ones who don't bluster and huff at the courthouse. The kind of folks that would plan a criminal act targeting your family at home might not be totally deterred in their plans by this bill, but it is one more step to keep us safer.
During my time wearing a badge, I found that the quiet ones were always the most dangerous.

As an investigator, I have taken advantage of this provision. It only blocks your name from the system. It provides the info on the appraisal, exemptions, etc for the address so the "record" is still public. But unless they knew it was your address, it does keep them from just "running" your name and getting it easily. However, it won't be long until the crooks figure out that when "unknown" pulls up for the name in a neighborhood, that they have hit on the right house for a peace officer or prosecutor.

I agree that prosecutor's should have something in place for their information also, but also agree that it may provide a false sense of security for some. As having received phone calls and visits at my home by defendant's family members even with this and an unlisted number, I know I must take the majority of the responsibility for my safety, and not rely on a document or exclusion from a list.

While my number is unlisted in the phone book, it's all over the public records in the county clerk's office because I'm an elected. So I had to come up with a new strategy. And, since y'all are my friends, I thought I'd share it with you:

I post a conspicuous sign in front of my house that reads as follows:

Texas Panhandle Region's Top Amway Representative!
Come on up to the door to learn more!

Not even the few friends I have, to say nothing of the casual misdemeanant or disgruntled CPS or protective order litigant, will come within 100 yards of my front door anymore.

Scott,
In the parlance of my 8 year old texter, your plan made me LOL!

I've got to hand it to you, your plan is brilliant! I think I will hang out a Mary Kay sign!

My choice of security at home is a 65 pound Belgian Malanois(I had to look it up to spell it correctly). He scares everybody just looking at him much less let him get a piece of you. We call him Bronco Billy.

Bronco Billy can chew up a Coke can in 15 seconds while his tongue is bleeding! But, he loves his mama & her 3 little boys. He comes courtesy of the Houston Police Dept. thx to my husband.

Andrea, maybe you should post your address publicly just so people know which house to avoid!