Tomball Police Chief Rob Hauck got an unwelcome surprise Sunday, when someone shared a photo a citizen took of a TPD patrol vehicle in a handicap parking spot. The photo was posted on Facebook. It probably would have spread quickly, as outrageous social media pics do, and sooner than later would have reached the news media.
Chief Hauck chose not to wait. He investigated the matter and got solid answers, and then he personally posted the photo on the Tomball Police Facebook page, with the following caption:
“Today, a friend shared this picture he found posted on Facebook, and as you can probably imagine, most of the comments were not very complementary. There were a few people who graciously attempted to support us by reminding folks there are two sides to every story, and some even pointed out the fact that the officer may have been responding to a call.
To all those who supported us – I truly appreciate you, however, we should have never put you in that position! Quite frankly this was not our finest moment, and I assure you that we will use this as a training opportunity to make certain it does not happen again!
I am the first to praise the great work of the men and women of the TPD, however, we are human and we too make poor decisions some times. When we do, we must acknowledge, learn, and ask forgiveness from the people we are sworn to protect and to serve – for this is the only way to develop and maintain trust.
I looked into the circumstances surrounding this incident, which occurred yesterday, and found that the officer was handling a traffic collision investigation at Chic-fil-a. I assure you that his parking in the handicap space was not done with ill-intent, but he did allow himself to get caught up in the moment, he only focused on the traffic incident, and he did not pay attention to where he parked. Regardless, I recognize the horrible messages this picture sends to the public, and for that I sincerely apologize!
Our Core Values are Professionalism, Integrity, and Respect – and we strive to uphold these daily. Sometimes we slip and those are moments when we must exercise humility.
Chief Rob Hauck”
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