Chief Perjury

After reading Connelly's News Hostage column a while back, I had some hope that Jeff Cohen might actually be up to the job of improving the Dreadful Chron. And every time I think they're making some progress, they revert back to form. I can't help but think this line was copied almost verbatim from a press release:

Police Chief C.O. Bradford was only a boy when his father, a man who toiled endlessly to support 17 children on a northeast Louisiana cotton farm, summoned him to the field to offer some good advice: Keep your word and your credit.

"If you squared away on those two things, life's journey will be a little easier, he said," Bradford recalled. "I've always exhausted my utmost ability to do that. My credit still speaks for itself. It's AAA. My word -- there are some people trying to taint it."

From reports so far, it appears that Bradford himself has done most of the "damage" to his word -- you know, by lying (allegedly). But why should the Dreadful Chron let that get in the way of a good puff piece? Here is some more of the garbage:

In an interview last week in the office of one of his lawyers, Bradford, the city's second African-American police chief, spoke of his life and the philosophy that has propelled his 23-year police career.

It is a rags-to-riches tale.

Reared in poverty in Newellton, La., a community of about 1,100 just a stone's throw from the Mississippi River, Bradford parlayed a two-year criminal justice degree into a career of national prominence.

He brought new openness to his department, gleaned praise from potential critics and directed his officers in keeping a lid on violent crime while renewing commitment to community-based policing.

"Overall," said Hans Marticiuc, president of the 4,900-member Houston Police Officers Union, "he's been a very good chief."

Former Mayor Bob Lanier, who nominated Bradford for the position in the fall of 1996, described him as "consistently impressive." Johnny Mata of the League of United Latin American Citizens praised him for efforts at rapprochement with the Hispanic community.

By most accounts, the guy has been a decent police chief. My only question for his supporters is this: If he's such an impressive figure, how in the world did he manage to get outmaneuvered by a lowly captain with a record of unorthodox behavior and borderline insubordination?

[Posted at 22:31 CST on 09/23/02] [Link]