# Texas shuts down a whole police department

> A tiny East Texas force lost its licenses after the state found no vests, no evidence room, and two dozen missing policies.
- Title: Texas shuts down a whole police department · Dallas Express
- Summary: A tiny East Texas force lost its licenses after the state found no vests, no evidence room, and two dozen missing policies. A police department can be…
- Keywords: policing, texas, accountability, press freedom, local government, news, politics, shuts, whole, police, department, Dallas Express
- Source: Dallas Express — https://dallasexpress.com/metroplex/texas-orders-trinidad-police-department-shut-down-after-tcole-probe
- Author: Dallas Express
- Published: 2026-09-14T18:00:36+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: policing, texas, accountability, press freedom, local government, news, politics
## The state pulls the plug
Texas is disbanding the Trinidad Police Department after a TCOLE investigation found the small East Texas agency failed minimum standards and could not show it benefited the community.

> unable to provide evidence that the agency provides public benefit to the community
## Licenses gone by Friday
TCOLE notified Trinidad's mayor of the shutdown and is expected to strip the department's licenses by Friday, leaving it without authority to operate.
## No vests, no evidence room
Investigators found the department lacked basic resources, including bulletproof vests for officers and a room to store evidence.
## Two dozen missing policies
Nearly 24 required policies were absent, covering use of force, active shooter response, vehicle pursuits and professional conduct.
## Prosecutors moved first
In an August 10 letter, Henderson County prosecutors said they would stop accepting cases investigated or filed solely by Trinidad police until further notice.

> until further notice
## The sheriff steps in
Sheriff Botie Hillhouse agreed to send deputies into Trinidad because residents still needed policing. Anything above a Class C misdemeanor now runs through his office.
## Two arrests started it
In May, citizen journalist Jennifer Combs was charged with felony false report over a Facebook post about the city's water. A grand jury refused to indict her.
## Then the judge was fired
Citizen journalist Winston Noles was arrested at a City Hall protest over a sign with expletives. The municipal judge who dismissed the charge, Shellena Bivens, was then fired and called it retaliation.
## A warrant built on doubt
District Judge R. Scott McKee, who approved a search warrant tied to the Combs arrest, later questioned what two Trinidad officers had told him. The chief resigned June 19.

> accuracy, completeness, and reliability
## Water money instead
A July state report found chemical levels over 300% above the federal limit in some testing. A councilman suggested redirecting police funding to fix the water system.
## Key takeaway

A police department can be dissolved by the state when it cannot show it meets minimum standards or benefits the public it polices.