Cops Behaving Badly

Veteran Dallas police officer who ignored kidnapping gets fired

A Dallas police officer failed to take action in a kidnapping case, and the suspect got away.

Courtesy photo

Dallas police officer Leslie Richardson was casually smoking a cigarette in his squad car when a distressed mother flagged him down about a kidnapping. Instead of helping her, the 28-year DPD veteran told the woman, "Baby, I'm on a call," and left the scene.

The officer's indifference was captured by dash cam footage.

After Richardson let the suspect get away, the man engaged in a car and foot chase with police. Steven Douglas, 29, allegedly pointed a gun at police before he was shot and killed by an officer on August 25.

Dallas police chief David Brown fired Richardson and two other officers at a disciplinary hearing on October 1.

"An Internal Affairs investigation concluded that Senior Corporal Richardson placed persons in greater danger than necessary when he failed to take any action as a police officer and made an inappropriate comment to a citizen. The investigation also concluded that he used tobacco product while driving a Dallas police vehicle," police said in a statement.

E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

Man vaping, e-cigarette

Unsplash

Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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