Oklahoma Criminal Defense Blog

Texas’ plan to hire hundreds of child abuse investigators with law enforcement backgrounds did not work out. The idea was to improve the investigative power of Child Protective Services with caseworkers who had better investigative techniques. After four years of trying, hundreds of the “special investigators”have quit the agency.

One-third of the positions are now vacant. Two hundred seventy three of the 431 investigators hired in the last 4 years have left. Those who have left have claimed the agency was ineffective. They claimed the job description was confused

Last year, three children from the Houston area died after they had been reported as possible abuse victims.  A child from Arlington died from being left in a hot car as the agency was contacting the family repeatedly.  The mother had a history of abuse and neglect, but no action had been taken to protect the child.

Spokesman Patrick Crimmins said the agency knew there would be difficulties assimilating law enforcement types into the agency. He admitted there had been friction but said the special investigators make the agency stronger. Some of those who have left claimed there was a major culture clash between the older, law enforcement types and the usually-younger, less experienced agency caseworkers.

One of those who left was Thomas Davidson, is a 40-year veteran of law enforcement.  He was a special investigator for 2 months with the agency in 2007.  “It just wasn’t the job I was led to believe,” he said. “It’s more of a caseworker than an investigator…”

The agency obviously envisioned making their caseworkers into better investigators, so they hired people with investigator backgrounds.  But those with investigator backgrounds were former police detectives whose former jobs gave them much more free rein.  “Book ‘em, Danno,” was not part of the Child Protective Services culture.