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Jan. 21, 2007, 4:07PM
Bribery sting snares officer
One of HPD's most highly paid veterans accused of taking cash in traffic stop
By MATT STILES and ANITA HASSAN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
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A veteran Houston police officer arrested Friday in an undercover bribery sting is among the highest paid and most-disciplined employees on the force, city records show.
The officer, Alfred Alaniz, is charged with felony bribery after police allege he took cash during a traffic stop from an undercover officer posing as a civilian motorist.
A complaint about Alaniz, a 20-year veteran accident investigator, prompted the Houston Police Department's internal affairs division to conduct the roadside sting.
"The department had received information that he was accepting money in exchange for not writing citations," said Assistant Chief Michael Dirden, who heads internal affairs.
Alaniz, free on $10,000 bail, could not be reached for comment Saturday. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
The Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday that at least four officers — Alaniz among them — were paid more than $100,000 in overtime in 2006. They were among at least 71 officers paid more than $50,000 in overtime last year. Many of the officers doubled their base salaries.
Alaniz has been paid a total of more than $200,000 in overtime in the past two years. The extra pay boosted his total compensation to levels that rivaled top city executives, including Mayor Bill White and Police Chief Harold Hurtt.
Alaniz, 53, was paid $116,000 in overtime last year and another $88,000 in 2005, according to payroll records obtained under the Texas Public Information Act.
Much of the extra pay likely stems from the specialized nature of Alaniz's job in the Mobility Incident Management Division. He worked nights and, like other officers with high overtime, could have made extra money appearing in court during the day.
There were no allegations that Alaniz's overtime was related to Friday's arrest.
Previous infractions
Alaniz also has one of the department's lengthiest disciplinary records, according to an internal affairs database obtained by the Chronicle last year.
The database lists incidents in which investigators determined the officer violated department policy.
Only about three dozen of the 3,800 current police employees in the database have had more complaints sustained by internal investigators, the records show.
Alaniz has had 21 sustained complaints since his career began in May 1986.
They include "criminal activity," "misconduct" and "loss of city property," according to the records.
The database has only basic details about each sustained complaint, and further information about the nature of the incidents or any related punishment was not available Saturday.
'Proactive' arrest
The operation that led to Alaniz's arrest was conducted by investigators in the internal affairs division's "proactive" unit, a group of detectives that investigates allegations of officer misconduct.
"Anybody who tries to tarnish the badge, that's who they are after," said John Cannon, a department spokesman.
Alaniz was arrested around lunchtime Friday in the 2200 block of West Holcombe, he said, about an hour after the undercover traffic stop in the 6000 block of the East South Loop.
Further details about the alleged transaction weren't released Saturday, and police declined to disclose the precise amount of money involved. Dirden said it was less than $500 cash.
He said another operation in 2003 led to charges against several police officers accused of taking $50 bribes from dozens of local cantina owners.
"We do this to test the integrity of officers," he said. "It's just a matter of whether they take the bait."
Chronicle reporters Chase Davis and Paige Hewitt contributed to this story.
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4486109.html
and another article...
HPD officer accused of taking bribe during traffic ticket stingOfficer allegedly accepted money during traffic sting
By Andy Cerota
(1/20/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) - A 20-year veteran of the Houston Police Department is accused of accepting cash during a traffic ticket sting.
A special unit with an HPD's internal affairs division initiated this traffic sting operation. It's called the 'proactive unit' and members of this particular unit investigate serious complaints against other officers. So someone at some point must have become suspicious of Officer Alfred Alaniz.
Officer Alaniz is an accident investigator who joined the force back in 1986 and is now facing felony bribery charges. He's accused taking cash in exchange for not issuing a traffic citation.
Officer Alaniz was arrested yesterday about an hour after pulling over an undercover officer in the 6000 block of the South Loop East near Mykawa. The undercover officer told Alaniz he didn't have a license or insurance and then according to police, that undercover officer displayed cash. Officer Alaniz allegedly agreed to take about $200 and let the undercover officer go.
The veteran officer has been relieved of duty. He reportedly posted bond and is now out of jail. He's scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=4955490
