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OCPO reports death in custody, opens director‑initiated investigation and declines independent review request
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Summary
The board received three investigative updates: a police stop that resulted in a death on April 29, a director‑initiated review of an officer’s language during a traffic stop, and an independent review request related to a collision; the board voted not to open an independent investigation in the collision case.
The Office of Community Police Oversight’s special investigator, Greg Huff, briefed the Community Police Oversight Board on May 13 about three separate matters: a death in custody, a director‑initiated independent investigation, and an independent review request.
Critical incident — death in custody: Huff said that on April 29 Dallas police stopped a vehicle whose license plate was linked to a man with outstanding felony warrants. Officers recovered suspected cocaine and two stolen handguns at the scene. The person stopped, identified in the briefing as 55‑year‑old Horace Groves III, reported feeling unwell; Dallas Fire Rescue responded and cleared him medically before he was transported to the Southeast Patrol Station for questioning. Huff said Groves collapsed during an interview and was pronounced dead at 3:39 a.m. The Dallas Police Special Investigations Unit will perform an internal investigation and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office will conduct an independent review, Huff said.
Director‑initiated investigation: The director asked for an independent investigation after reviewing a division referral concerning an officer interaction during a traffic stop. The complainant alleged Officer Wolford said, “If you touch it I’m gonna smoke your [expletive],” after seeing a holstered firearm in a stopped driver’s vehicle. Internal Affairs routed the case to a division review; the division recommended the officer be exonerated while suggesting training to improve choice of words. OCPO’s preliminary review found the video did not demonstrate an escalating encounter and questioned whether the officer’s language was necessary. Director Michelle Andre initiated an independent investigation to determine whether the officer’s conduct violated policy.
Independent review request — Bagheri collision: The board considered a complaint from Farhad Bagheri alleging shortcomings in an officer’s investigation of a traffic collision. The complaint raised factual omissions and claimed the reporting officer mischaracterized whether a driver wore corrective lenses. OCPO and Internal Affairs both conducted preliminary reviews and found no policy violation. After discussion, Judge C. Victor Lander moved that the board not pursue an additional independent investigation; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
Huff said OCPO is working on multiple additional investigations and expects to present results at the June meeting.
