(Texas Scorecard) — An investigative report from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement found multiple issues at the Round Rock ISD Police Department. Background checks had not been done on their police chief and assistant police chief, who also would go on to break state law.
It started with a letter.
The week of June 17, Round Rock ISD Trustee Mary Bone shared two pages from a December 20, 2023 letter from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. This is the state agency that sets standards for law enforcement across Texas. They also help screen applicants and develop staff.
Major T.J. Vineyard of the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement (TCOLE) wrote the letter to Round Rock Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez. Vineyard informed Azaiez that “the background investigation for” then-police chief Dennis Weiner hadn’t been done before he’d been hired. Vineyard also advised there were other issues with the hiring of not only Weiner but also Assistant Chief Rosemarie White. The “preemployment procedure” mandated by state law hadn’t been followed, and the appointment process for both individuals had not been completed before they “began activities in the capacity of peace officers.”
Trustee Bone alleged that Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez “withheld” the information in the TCOLE letter.
But that is not the end of the story. After receiving the December 20 letter from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), Texas Scorecard investigated. We sought comment from TCOLE. They referred us to their investigative report which they promptly delivered after Texas Scorecard sent an open records request. That report revealed much deeper insight about Round Rock ISD and the police department for which they are accountable.
The full report will be made available to readers in part two of this series.
The Investigation
Officer Joseph Burleson, then of the Round Rock ISD Police, had filed a complaint with TCOLE against Weiner and White. He alleged that both had violated school district policy, state law, and that White specifically had violated the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
TCOLE’s Sgt. Dan Mireles started investigating on May 11, 2023. The result of his investigation, published in the June 2023 TCOLE Investigative Report, found problems with the school district’s two top cops.
From the time of being hired by Round Rock ISD in late 2022 until spring 2023, the school district’s chief and assistant chief were not licensed peace officers in Texas.
Mireles wrote that background checks for Weiner and White were not done. Referred to in the report as Background Confirmation Form (BCF), these are needed for one to serve as a peace officer in Texas. TCOLE was also never informed that Weiner or White were at Round Rock ISD. Both were hired in late 2022. This is called an Appointment of a License (L1). As of the date of the investigative report, June 2023, only Weiner’s L1 was pending. Both Weiner and White did not obtain their TCOLE licensing until spring 2023 (Weiner on March 21, White on April 18). Until then, both had been placed in an “administrative role” in the district.
This became a problem when White acted with policing powers she did not lawfully have yet.
Mireles wrote that in December 2022, Asst. Chief White presented herself “as a law enforcement official prior to receiving her Texas Peace Officer’s license when she conducted an investigative subject stop, detaining that subject, and requesting CJIS [Criminal Justice Information System] information via radio.”
Williamson County Emergency Communications confirmed this CJIS call to Mireles. Their records reported White had made the CJIS call on December 2, 2022 at 1:26 PM. The person White asked about was Ryan Wood. The record showed Wood had no outstanding warrants. Mireles contacted him on May 19, 2023.
Wood told Mireles that White walked up to him. She wasn’t wearing a uniform, nor did she show a law enforcement badge, but did identify herself as the assistant chief of the school district and said that a driver complained about Wood’s driving. Wood admitted that there had been “an exchange” between the other driver and himself outside the Round Rock ISD campus. He then parked on school grounds to wait for his son. “She asked if he would mind if she looked at his driver’s license,” Mireles wrote in his summary of his conversation with Wood. “Wood stated she took his license, stepped to the side of his vehicle and was on her radio.” Wood told Mireles he felt detained at the time. After some time, she gave him back his license and wished him a good day. Wood said “it was a very odd interaction.”
Odd or not, Mireles’ report asserts that White was not a licensed peace officer in Texas and had broken state law: False Identification as Peace Officer (Texas Penal Code 37.12).
Mireles attempted to interview White. When Mireles confirmed to her there was a potential criminal violation, White ended the interview.
The fact that no background checks were ever run raised questions about the Round Rock ISD administration, which is accountable for the Round Rock ISD police department, and the board of trustees which holds the administration accountable.
Leadership
Mireles interviewed Weiner on May 18, 2023. Remarkably, despite White not being a licensed peace officer in Texas, Weiner admitted that White “had an unmarked (covert) agency police vehicle.”
Mireles asked him if he was aware of White acting in a law enforcement capacity while being unlicensed. Weiner denied any knowledge at first, then after a follow-up question admitted he’d heard she allegedly had conducted a “car stop.”
Weiner “believed” he discussed the matter with White. What he told Mireles did not line up with Wood’s recollection. Weiner said White had gone to talk with Wood to see “if she could help them[sic] with something.” Weiner said Wood’s presence on school property raised “some concern.” However, “he wasn’t aware if White had run any identification of the person or vehicle.” Weiner admitted there was no need to see Wood’s driver’s license or registration. He also stated that “he did not document the incident or response from White as a formal complaint.” He also didn’t discipline White because, based on what she had said to him, “there was no basis for a reprimand.”
This stands in stark contrast with TCOLE’s action. When the state agency received the allegation against White, Mireles was able to discover her action easily.
Mireles informed Weiner that he was accountable for White’s hiring. That included ensuring all TCOLE processes for onboarding officers are followed.
When it came to Weiner, Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez was responsible for him. Mireles told him so during their interview on May 18, 2023. Eddie Curran, of Round Rock ISD Human Resources, was also present.
Azaiez was hired under clouds of concern over his potential competence. The TCOLE investigative report doesn’t dispel those clouds.
Azaiez told Mireles this was his first time hiring a police chief. He claimed a background investigation had been done on Weiner. However, Curran told Mireles the only documents they had for him to review regarding Weiner were insurance and withholdings. He said that the school district’s process was to do a “standard DPS and rap back” check of an individual. When it came to extensive background checks, that responsibility was left to the Round Rock ISD Police. Mireles wrote that at the time of the interview HR did “not have any of that information for the background investigation of Weiner.”
Mireles informed Azaiez that he was accountable for Weiner’s issues because he had hired him. He then explained step by step to Azaiez and Curran the school district’s duties in such matters.
Mireles then asked Azaiez if he knew whether Asst. Chief Rose White performed any law enforcement action before being licensed as a peace officer. He replied he’d received an email that had gone to “several” people in the district, including two members of the board of trustees. This email said White “made a traffic stop or something like that around the high school.” Azaiez said the district asked her about it, and she denied it. Mireles reported that Azaiez said, “[W]e could not possibly prove that she did or did not do it. That was the only instance that somebody brought to concern.”
Regarding White breaking the law, there’s also the question of where the Williamson County Sheriff stood, regarding this matter. Mireles’ report indicated they had also been made aware of the allegation against White, yet they didn’t investigate. Mireles interviewed former Round Rock ISD Police Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough. Now chief of the City of Hutto Police, Yarbrough told Mireles that a former Round Rock ISD police officer told him that White was conducting traffic stops. “He mentioned it to Williamson Co. Sheriff Mike Gleason (Gleason) since he had no jurisdiction.” Mireles contacted the Sheriff’s office. Commander John Foster told him they had no record of any investigation into White. Yarbrough said he also informed Azaiez. “According to Yarbrough, Azaiez told him they (RRISD) were looking into it.”
Situation Today
Since 2021, multiple scandals have emerged from within Round Rock ISD. Among these, the district “coordinated” with the Williamson County Sheriff to have two citizens arrested and district leadership protected the superintendent after allegations of domestic violence arose against Azaiez.
The TCOLE investigative report also continues the story from Texas Scorecard’s May 17 article. That covered how Weiner had reportedly been replaced and his allegation that Round Rock ISD leadership—including Superintendent Azaiez—covered up the sexual assault of a five-year-old female student.
Trustee Bone stated both Weiner and White have been placed on administrative leave. Weiner is no longer listed as the school district chief of police. White, however, is still shown as the assistant chief. Mireles wrote in the TCOLE investigative report that White’s case was sent to the Williamson County District Attorney on October 31, 2023 for review.
Texas Scorecard asked the DA for comment. They did not respond before publication.
After reviewing the TCOLE letter, Texas Scorecard also asked Round Rock ISD for comment on June 21. Regarding Weiner and White being employed before all proper hiring procedures were completed, Anne Drabicky, Round Rock ISD’s Chief of Public Affairs & Communications, stated on June 25, “[T]his oversight was corrected as soon as the district was made aware of it.” Drabicky said White had completed all outstanding requirements to TCOLE’s satisfaction.
Drabicky said the district has no comment on the December 2023 TCOLE letter, the investigative report, or Trustee Mary Bone’s statement.
After receiving and reviewing TCOLE’s investigative report, Texas Scorecard sent Round Rock ISD more questions on July 12. They did not respond before publication.
Texas Scorecard also asked the Texas Education Agency for comment on the TCOLE investigative report. They did not respond before publication.
Round Rock ISD parent and former school board candidate Jill Farris commented on the school police situation. “I find it extremely disturbing that our school district continues to allow the RRISD PD to run roughshod throughout the district without any oversight or transparency,” she wrote to Texas Scorecard. Farris added that the district is now trying to hire its third police chief in four years. “Our district has demonstrated that it isn’t able to run a police department effectively or without significant controversy, and I think it’s time for RRISD to renew partnerships with [Williamson County Sheriff’s Office] and/or the City of [Round Rock Police] to ensure that our children are safe.”
There’s still more to the story from the investigative report.
Part two of this series will review allegations of the police force being weaponized against candidates for the Round Rock ISD school board. The entire TCOLE report will be shared in that article.