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    Alex Villalobos

Former TXST police chief and top deputy accused of poor hiring practices

Sheriff candidate Villalobos named in report
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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 running for Hays county sheriff while also serving as Chief of Staff for Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra, and also serving as a city councilmember for the City of Kyle. Villalobos, who filed to run in the March 3 Democratic primary for sheriff, is on the “Brady List” — an index of law enforcement officers that are seen as not trustworthy as witnesses in court. The list arises from the 1963 Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland, which found that prosecutors must turnover to the defense any evidence that might exonerate defendants.

Bañales, is currently running his own consulting company. According to the Texas Tribune, Bañales 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-allegat...

Twitter: @Nick_Castillo74

 

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