Report: former TXST police chief, top deputy accused of poor hiring practices
Texas State University’s former police chief and top deputy were accused of hiring unqualified officers, according to a report by The Texas Tribune.
According to an internal memo and police department correspondence obtained by The Texas Tribune, former university police Chief Jose Bañales and Chief of Staff Lt. Alex Villalobos oversaw a department with striking favoritism, low morale and high turnover.
A lawsuit filed in Travis County District Court in November claims that Jason Moreno, a 17-year university police department veteran, was fired for reporting “violations of law” committed by university employees. The lawsuit claims Bañales and Villalobos falsified documents. Villalobos is also accused of using information gained through his position as a Texas State University Police Lieutenant for the personal benefit of a brother that had been charged with and convicted of racketeering and bribery,
Bañales and Villalobos resigned from their positions at Texas State in 2018. Villalobos is currently a Kyle city councilmember, chief of staff for Hays County and has filed to run for county sheriff.
According to The Texas Tribune, Bañales, who currently runs his own consulting company, denies the allegations found in the university’s memo.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Clery Act Compliance Division is currently conducting a review of Texas State University. The Department of Education’s review will evaluate Texas State’s compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and the department’s regulation.
In September, the university said that it provided insufficient information in its prior year’s annual security reports, including a lack of Campus Security Authority identification, lack of information for its Round Rock campus and reporting deficiencies.
Texas State said it became aware of its deficiencies after the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators conducted a peer review. A draft report was issued by IACLEA on Nov. 16, 2018 and the University began addressing issues found in the report.
Texas State hired Laurie Clouse as its new chief of police on Feb. 4 as a result of IACLEA recommendations. The university has been working with the Department of Education since May to correct its deficiencies.
The Texas Tribune’s full report can be found at https://www.texastribune.org/2019/12/13/Texas-state-police-force-allegations/
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