Former KPD officer fired amid accusations in Victoria County

A Keller police officer who was fired for several policy violations has also been let go from another law enforcement agency in Texas and is under investigation for excessive use of force, the Victoria Advocate reported.

Officer Daniel Bettes was the subject of many complaints during his seven-year tenure at the Keller Police Department until he was fired Sept. 10, 2007.

According to Star-Telegram archives, Police Chief Mark Hafner’s termination letter to Bettes said that he disobeyed orders, ran personal errands on city time and was rude to drivers during traffic stops.

In January 2009, Bettes was hired by the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy, and, according to reports by the Victoria Advocate newspaper, he was fired in November 2014 after he reportedly violated office policies when he used a Taser on a truck driver twice during a traffic stop in October.

The Texas Rangers are investigating the incident, and Victoria County Sheriff T. Michael O’Connor told the Advocate that after the investigation, “he plans to try to change the discharge status to dishonorable.”

O’Connor told the newspaper this week that he wasn’t aware of the incidents that led to Bettes’ termination in Keller. He said he couldn’t recall whether the office spoke to KPD.

Hafner said Thursday that KPD has nothing on file showing that the sheriff’s office requested information.

The sheriff also said that he’s found “flaws” in the selection process, including incomplete vetting, and that the office recently amended its hiring process to fix that.

This story was originally published February 22, 2015 at 6:30 PM with the headline "Former KPD officer fired amid accusations in Victoria County."