SAN ANGELO — Retiring San Angelo Police Chief Frank Carter was the keynote speaker at the Pachyderm Club this week. Carter expressed gratitude to the two candidates competing for his position in the May 2024 election. During his address, he highlighted the decrease in crime rates in San Angelo throughout his tenure and also noted a decline in traffic citations over recent years.
Accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation illustrating a consistent reduction in issued citations, Carter said, "I don’t believe that everyone needs a citation or needs to go to jail. It's just not necessary. I like that our officers are giving warnings, I don’t have a problem with that at all." He emphasized a focus beyond minor infractions, suggesting that law enforcement's priorities extend beyond penalizing elderly drivers for slight speed limit violations.
Before his presentation, Chief Carter graciously participated in an interview, offering candid responses to various questions.
When asked about the content of his presentation, Carter listed several topics including manpower, crime, wages, budget, integrity, and recruitment.
Regarding the ongoing Chief race, Carter mentioned the prominence of the two main candidates, noting the limited time for others to gain traction in the race.
Expressing concerns about SAPD salaries, Carter highlighted his efforts advocating for a pay increase, citing the department's current compensation being 18-20% below standard. He mentioned a recent meeting addressing this issue.
Discussing post-retirement plans, Carter enthusiastically shared his intention to indulge in sailing and fishing, eventually considering guided fishing tours along the coast.
As for any potential future political aspirations, Chief Carter firmly stated his focus on spending time with family and friends, enjoying fishing trips, and expressed little inclination toward running for office again.
Chief Frank Carter's eight-year tenure is widely regarded as instrumental in fortifying San Angelo, Texas, as a safer, more resilient, and sought-after city. Many residents credit Carter with reinstating integrity within the SAPD, revitalizing the department's credibility during his tenure.
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Stop taking people to jail for walking on the wrong side of the road.
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PermalinkI hope you understand that no one is going to jail for simply walking on the wrong side of the road.
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PermalinkI absolutely understand that what side of the street someone walks on is being used as a primary reason to accost and detain someone, at which time their 4th and 5th amendment rights are violated by a man or woman operating under color of law.
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PermalinkActually, here's one right here. They couldn't find drugs, warrants, or anything else, but still deemed it necessary to take him to jail. View Roster - ERIC SOTO - Tom Green County TX Sheriff's Office (tomgreencountysheriff.org)
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PermalinkIt's interesting to see how our depressed economy is affecting San Angelo's long tradition of sundown town, Stasi style policing. Keep in mind that this practice of "stacking the deck" through enforcement so that anyone and everyone below a certain income bracket is slapped with an offense happened before Carter, also happened under Funky Munkey, and I'm told was also the policy throughout the latter half of the 20th century. This isn't the unique idea of any particular San Angelo police chief but appears to be a persistent "strong recommendation" from forces above.
As an aside, it's interesting that no one seems to talk about the possibility that the presence of military intelligence at GAFB might have anything to do with any of the policies and practices that we see enacted by the local government. In my experience, if there's anyone in this world who's paranoid that some random person walking down the street might suddenly, brutally murder them, it's veterans. I can only imagine the fears that encamp the minds of individuals responsible for matters of state security...
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PermalinkI am a retired San Angelo Police Officer. I worked under Carter. I have worked under 6 different police chiefs and I have to honestly say, I have only worked for 1 chief that was worse than Carter. I know first hand that his want for tickets is more important than an officers safety.
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