Midland Municipal Police Officers Assoc. releases statement on Midland Christian

MIDLAND, Texas (KOSA) -After a grand jury no-billed the case involving five Midland Christian employees Wednesday, the Midland Municipal Police Officers Association issued the following statement:

“MMPOA (Midland Municipal Police Officers Association has historically been an advocacy organization. Most of our activities are focused on supporting our members as they serve their community. In fact, we cannot recall a single news release or official statement made by this association in at least the past eight years. The nature of these recent events compels the leadership of MMPOA to release this statement.

There have been many who have commented on the facts or merits of this case without being privy to them. MMPOA will not be one of them. MMPOA does advocate for a relentless pursuit of truth, for sound investigations, and for fair and trustworthy processes. To that end, MMPOA has serious concerns about the Grand Jury process as it was handled by the Midland County District Attorney’s Office in this case.

It is difficult to “let the process work itself out” as Mayor Payton asked of the city when the Midland County District Attorney’s Office does not have the lead detective from the Midland Police Department testify before the Grand Jury. Such testimonies are commonplace especially in sensitive, complex, or high-profile cases.

Not having the lead detective appear before the Grand Jury to present the case and answer questions from the Grand Jury does a disservice to all parties by potentially limiting the Grand Jury’s ability to make a full and fair determination of probable cause.

Regardless, we, the members of MMPOA, will continue our efforts to selflessly, tirelessly, relentlessly and sacrificially serve our city. We are grateful to serve under a city leadership and with fellow citizens who support our efforts to keep our city safe.

-MMPOA”

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