SAPD releases video recording of Bill Richardson incident

SAN ANGELO — The San Angelo Police Department released audio and video recordings Thursday, Feb. 23, as well as a call detail report involving the police response to a Feb. 18 call from San Angelo City Councilman Bill Richardson.

Richardson raised public ire after the call to police when he posted on a group Facebook page a call for "non-Hispanic" residents to keep a record of their encounters with Hispanic law enforcement officers. The San Angelo Law Enforcement Spouses Association has called for Richardson's resignation or removal.

Comments from the report released Thursday indicated Richardson said his neighbors were screaming and yelling at him. Richardson said in the report that his neighbors were yelling at him because he asked them to remove a basketball hoop from the street.

Partial transcript from video labeled "Rios, Alfred"

Officer: What is your name?

Richardson: Uh, William Richardson.

Officer: Mr. Richardson, uh, question for you. What made you go over there today?

Richardson: Oh, because I wanted to talk to them about the, uh, basketball hoop in the street.

Officer: (garbled)... It's not on the street.

Richardson: It's on the, it's on the, uh, city easement.

Officer: OK.

Richardson: And (garbled) bunch of kids out there ...

Officer: Were they doing that today?

Richardson: No.

Officer: OK.

Richardson: OK, but I have pictures of them playing in the street.

Officer: (garbled) But why in the past have you not called before today?

Richardson: Because I've talked to the city manager and I've talked to the assistant city manager ...

Officer: OK.

Richardson: ... about the problem. And I —

Officer: OK, let me ask you a question. These people here on the bicycles, did you call them in?

Richardson: No. Because it's legal for them to, uh, be in the street with the (garbled).

Officer: OK, but the thing is, right now there's nothing going on over there. So, you need to address it when somebody's out there. (garbled) Right now there's nobody out there.

Richardson: Just hold on a second here ... (garbled)

Officer: Mr. Richardson, put your hand down. (garbled) Put your hand out of my face.

Richardson: I'm not putting my hand in your face.

Officer: OK, just put your hand down, I'm not doing that to you, so don't disrespect me that way either ...

Richardson's Facebook post, circulated by the association as an email attachment, said, "I have had this sentiment expressed to me by other San Angelo citizens. Yesterday I had an encounter with a 'Hispanic' SAPD officer after I called SAPD dispatch about a problem with a 'Hispanic' neighbor. I asked for help from the SAPD yesterday. One of the officers was 'Hispanic'. His attitude was rude and disrespectful and I believe to be physically threatening."

Officers made no arrests, nor gave any citations. The call detail report ended with a comment that the disputing neighbors were "told to ignore each other."

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