2003 ARRESTS

In an effort to provide the most public information about police services and activity, we will post all arrests made throughout the year here.  However, keep in mind, all persons arrested are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

What is Public Information?

As defined by the Texas Government Code, "public information" means information that is collected, assembled, or maintained under a law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by a governmental body.

Why is this information disclosed over the Internet?

Furthermore, the law states, "This chapter [Chapter 552, Texas Government Code] does not prohibit a governmental body or its officer for public information from voluntarily making part or all of its information available to the public, unless the disclosure is expressly prohibited by law or the information is confidential under law."
 

Our Philosophy

It is the philosophy of the Sweeny Police Department to disclosure arrests, crime reports, and other traditionally secretive information to the public on our Web site for a number of reasons:

1. We believe it may serve as a deterrent.

2. We believe, and this is confirmed with Web site statistical analysis, that the public is interested in, not only who is being arrested, but what crimes are being committed in Sweeny.

3. We believe in the philosophy of community-oriented policing, a philosophy that encourages and depends on the cooperative effort of the police and citizens to combat social and criminal problems in traditional and non-traditional ways.

4. Requesting public information is not free.  Minimal fees apply to the disclosure of public information.  Therefore, by providing the information over the Internet, the public is relieved of the burden of paying these fees.

5. By providing the information over the Internet, our administrative staff saves time and money by not having to answer "traditional" public information requests which are considerably more time consuming.

6. Lastly, we believe this Web site is a valuable way to bridge the gap between the police and our citizens.  Generally, the information provided in this Web site is not compiled for public disclosure or release, but instead it is used internally for crime prevention and detection purposes.  By specifically formatting this information for this Web site and publishing it, we have empowered our public to be enlightened, informed, and educated on issues facing our city as it relates to crime and other social problems.

Feedback

Do you agree or disagree with our philosophy?  Do you believe arrests should be made public in this forum?  Let us know.  Send us an e-mail to inbox@sweenypolice.org.