You might have heard this weekend about Alfred Alaniz, the HPD officer arrested Friday in a bribery sting and charged with accepting cash from an undercover cop posing as a motorist during a traffic stop. Today, there's more news related to Alaniz: The Houston Police Patrolmen's Union might not defend him in court.
The union provides legal representation for members who face internal or external disciplinary actions connected with their official duties, like officer-involved shootings or in-custody deaths. But HPPU officials aren't sure if being accused of bribery on the job really counts as a situation in the line of duty: "We have to determine if this falls under our guidelines for legal representation," HPPU President Johnnie McFarland told the Chronicle. "It'll be up to our legal staff to determine the level of representation."
Alaniz was arrested around noon Friday in the 2200 block of West Holcombe about an hour after the undercover traffic stop took place near the South Loop and Mykawa. He is accused of accepting the bribe — an undisclosed amount, but less than $500 — from an undercover HPD detective, presumably in exchange for not writing a ticket. Alaniz was charged with felony bribery and was released from the Harris County Jail after posting $10,000 bail.
According to the Chronicle, Alaniz has one of the longest disciplinary records in HPD: 21 sustained complaints, including "criminal activity" and "loss of city property," since he joined the force in May 1986. He's also one of the HPD officers who is gettng a pile of overtime pay — more than $200,000 in the last two years, making him one of the highest-paid city employees. With all that, you'd think he could afford his own legal bills, right?
Alaniz is expected to appear in court today, KTRK reports.
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