Fort Worth officer arrested, accused of using city computer for private background checks
A Fort Worth police officer was arrested Monday and accused of using a city computer to run searches for a person’s information in the Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications System on two separate occasions in 2021 with no indication that he had a law enforcement reason.
Officer Darrell Coker, 48, was placed on unpaid suspension as the administrative investigation is being finalized, the Fort Worth Police Department said in a news release.
Coker is accused of being on duty when he did the background checks on two separate occasions in 2021.
“The FWPD does not tolerate criminal misconduct or unethical behavior,” according to the statement released by Fort Worth police on Tuesday. “We will continue to hold employees accountable who do not meet the standards expected of a Fort Worth Police Officer and in doing so, will continue to be transparent and open with our community.”
Robert Huseman, of the law firm Varghese Summersett, is representing Coker.
“Our position is this case should have never been presented to the grand jury,” Huseman said in a statement Wednesday. “We are in the process of conducting our own investigation into the allegations and look forward to defending Officer Coker. Until then, we ask the public not to rush to judgment.”
Fort Worth police said they received a complaint on Coker in April, alleging that he had checked on a person’s information through the state law enforcement database without a legitimate reason.
Administrative and criminal investigations were immediately initiated by Fort Worth police, and Coker was placed on restricted duty and stripped of all police powers pending the outcome of the investigations, police said.
In June, the Fort Worth Police Department special investigations unit filed a criminal case with the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office,
Coker was taken into custody after he was indicted by a Tarrant County grand jury on a charge of breach of computer security.
Coker was released Tuesday from the Tarrant County Jail on $2,500 bond, according to court and jail records. He has worked for the Fort Worth Police Department for four years and was assigned to the patrol bureau prior to being placed on restricted duty.
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 1:02 PM.
