By Bob Ray Sanders
bobray@star-telegram.com
A high-ranking Fort Worth police official is arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
He is placed in front of a jailhouse wall with a height chart for the obligatory mug shot -- a photo subsequently released to the press -- before being jailed for several hours in Parker County, where the alleged offense occurred.
The police chief, for whom he served as chief of staff and confidant, is very upset, highly embarrassed and deeply hurt over the incident and feels compelled to act quickly.
Appropriately, the chief, with emphasis on "accountability," demotes his trusted colleague from major to captain, cuts his salary and reassigns him to a non-supervisory position as the department conducts an internal investigation.
This drama is playing out while forces internally and externally weigh in on what "justice" should be for a police officer who made a terrible mistake, and what should be the next step for a chief whose department has had 18 officers arrested for DWI since 2008.
In addition to the DWI problems, Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead has wrestled with several other unfortunate issues during his four-year tenure, some of which have cost the city a lot of money in lawsuit settlements and reimbursement of state grant funds.
The chief generally has responded well to those challenges, at least public relations-wise, in addressing growing community concerns. Some of his proposals have been substantive and effective, although one might still question the success of the alcohol-awareness program created after an off-duty officer was involved in a fatal drunken-driving crash.
But I don't want to dwell on the department's past problems or the alleged details of this latest highly publicized event. I do, however, want to talk about the man at the center of it.
Paul Henderson has been with the department 19 years, working his way up to major and chief of staff to Halstead.
I don't know about his personal life, but from my vantage point Henderson has been the consummate professional -- a dedicated public servant who has been an undeniable asset to the department and the Fort Worth community.
In many ways, I saw Henderson as the soul of the Fort Worth police, one who could be trusted to "shoot" straight. While very deliberative, he wanted journalists like me to have the facts and, on those occasions when he couldn't give out information, I never doubted his motives.
This comes from someone who sometimes is perceived as anti-police because on occasion I have been very critical of individual officers and administrators.
But what I've seen in Henderson over the years is a devoted individual who wanted his department to be better than it was. I'm sure he had detractors as supervisor of the Internal Affairs Division, which investigates wrongdoing by officers. Some might even delight in seeing him in trouble and under investigation.
Without knowing what any internal or criminal review might determine, I know Henderson to be an honorable man who will not let this setback keep him from performing his duties -- whatever they are -- with utmost skill and professionalism.
It is up to the chief and the criminal justice system to decide what happens next to Paul Henderson, and we should allow that process to run its course.
I don't believe this one unfortunate incident should be allowed to destroy Henderson or his career as a Fort Worth police officer.
He is too valuable an individual, one who can continue to bring integrity and "soul" to a department still striving for perfection.
Bob Ray Sanders' column appears Sundays and Wednesdays. 817-390-7775Twitter: @BobRaySanders
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