(Ed.'s Note: Unbeknownst to City of Brownsville District 2 Commissioner Jessica Tetreau, Interim Brownsville Police Dept. Chief David Dale was recording her phone call which he later used to file a complaint of her interfering with the police department. Dale did not use his phone to record, as it is heard ringing before he picked it up. The city released the recording to the Brownsville Herald. Here are a few telling bits of the conversation. Notice that Dale is noncommittal in his answers but manages to put in a plug for his candidacy for police chief.)
NEECE NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN, DOWNTOWN BUSINESS OWNERS CAN'T EVEN VOTE
-----------------------------------------------------
TETREAU: (Inaudible) sure that I get-- I was good for my office because I can't get service in my area. You know what I mean?
DALE: Right.
![Image result for BROWNSVILLE BICYCLE PATROL]()
TETREAU: And downtown is, like, saturated and overburdened. Like let's be honest. Ben doesn't even understand. Those business owners don't even live in his district. Like most of them are not even, you know, eligible voters. Sucks to say that, but it's true.
DALE: Laughing
TETREAU: And so here he is bending over backwards, and I get -- I was thinking "Because I'm not on top of it and I'm letting all of this happen." Like, there's like very bad dumping in my area. We clean it up. The next day it's there all over again.
And I don't have any bicycle officers in my area or any resources at all to help with it, and it just sucks for me.
DALE: Well, I mean, yeah.
TETREAU: (Inaudible) and, two, it's not safe to be riding -- like, I wouldn't ride my bike to Wal-Mart at night. I wouldn't ride my bike to the Stripes across Boca Chica at night, much less, like, let my husband go or anybody else. So I just thought it was like a crazy idea, an over-saturation, and here we go again, Ben Neece trying to be the sheriff in town and the rest of us -- like, my district has to pay for it.
TETREAU RAGS ON CASA DEL NYLON, CAMERAS, DOWNTOWN
-------------------------------------------------
![Image result for CASA DEL NYLON]()
TETREAU: Like make sure the infrastructure is like good, and we have no money because we bought cameras. You know, so it just like really gets on my nerves that the poorest people always have to pay for these pet projects.
And I'm just done with the downtown. Like a few years ago we had a $3 million dollar award from AEP and John Villarreal dumped the entire thing into market square.
So there went $3 million. Now, $2.5 in the Casa Nylon, now 500,000 in the cameras. Like it doesn't -- they're not going to fix the problems that are there. Like little by little we'll do it, but not with big money dumps like that.
DALE: Right.
MOTORCYCLE COPS ARE REALLY USED AS MONEY MAKERS
------------------------------------------------------
![Image result for MOTORCYCLE COPS, BROWNSVILLE TEXAS]()
DALE: So it's -- and we're short several, you know, in that area, you know, so it's - resources aren't -- like I said, it's not unlimited. We work. We manage, you know, and we pull from here. But when you pull from there, well, then something has to give because, well, you're taking somebody else's resources, you know.
Like the motorcycle division, if I have to supplement patrol, well, then they're not generating money for the city because every hour that they work on the streets, they basically generate about $500 worth of citations. In reality that transfers to about $250 after warnings and time credits served and -- or judges just issuing out dismiss cases. It's usually half that.
TETREAU: (Inaudible)
DALE: Yes, but when you take them away and you give them some other assignments, that's what's -- the revenue is being lost.
DALE POLITICKING WITH TETREAU, THEN FILES COMPLAINT
---------------------------------------------------------------
TETREAU: Now -- now your role in chief, you're going to understand the dynamic of, like, seven commission members and having to (inaudible). I always feel so bad for Michael and -
DALE: Well, you know -
TETREAU: You have it -- Charlie (Cabler, former city manager) knew the politics of it.
DALE: Yeah, yeah, right. Well, I told the -- you know, the chief, I mean, because, yeah, as your commander, you only have one boss, right? And it's the chief.
But if you happen to get into that position, well, you have multiple chiefs. It's not just one chief. You know, you have -- you have eight bosses, you know.
Every -- you know. So -- and, yeah, well, that's just the way it is, you know, because everybody has got a responsibility and you're elected, you know, to cover your district, and they've got needs, you know, so you're their voice. If you don't say anything, who will, you know?
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN, THIS IS NEECE'S BRAIN ON WEED
------------------------------------------------------------
TETRAU: The problem child of us is Ben because, if you don't do what he wants, he destroys you, like, you know, perjury this -- just like he's freaking nuts.
![Image result for THI IS YOUR BRAIN ON WEED]()
DALE: Yeah.
TETREAU: (Inaudible) should not smoke weed. That's bad for you so -
DALE: (Laughing)
FEMALE VOICE: It fries your brain. But it's just hard for me to work with somebody that, you know, is so erratic. Like I don't understand where he comes from.
AND THE PLUG BY DALE TO BE CHIEF OF POLICE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TETREAU: But, anyways, you're doing a good job. I just recommend that, like -- because the decision is coming up very soon, make sure you keep all of your commissioners very happy and -
DALE: Yes.
TETREAU -- talk to them and keep them in the loop and show them the, you know, the overall statistics of the city and how you're going to fix it and what your plans are. Like think big and make sure you impress them.
DALE: Right. Well, I hope so. (Laughing) That's the game plan anyway, you know.
TETREAU: Yeah.
DALE: We'll see what the score is, you know.
NEECE NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN, DOWNTOWN BUSINESS OWNERS CAN'T EVEN VOTE
-----------------------------------------------------
TETREAU: (Inaudible) sure that I get-- I was good for my office because I can't get service in my area. You know what I mean?
DALE: Right.
TETREAU: And downtown is, like, saturated and overburdened. Like let's be honest. Ben doesn't even understand. Those business owners don't even live in his district. Like most of them are not even, you know, eligible voters. Sucks to say that, but it's true.
DALE: Laughing
TETREAU: And so here he is bending over backwards, and I get -- I was thinking "Because I'm not on top of it and I'm letting all of this happen." Like, there's like very bad dumping in my area. We clean it up. The next day it's there all over again.
And I don't have any bicycle officers in my area or any resources at all to help with it, and it just sucks for me.
DALE: Well, I mean, yeah.
TETREAU: (Inaudible) and, two, it's not safe to be riding -- like, I wouldn't ride my bike to Wal-Mart at night. I wouldn't ride my bike to the Stripes across Boca Chica at night, much less, like, let my husband go or anybody else. So I just thought it was like a crazy idea, an over-saturation, and here we go again, Ben Neece trying to be the sheriff in town and the rest of us -- like, my district has to pay for it.
TETREAU RAGS ON CASA DEL NYLON, CAMERAS, DOWNTOWN
-------------------------------------------------
TETREAU: Like make sure the infrastructure is like good, and we have no money because we bought cameras. You know, so it just like really gets on my nerves that the poorest people always have to pay for these pet projects.And I'm just done with the downtown. Like a few years ago we had a $3 million dollar award from AEP and John Villarreal dumped the entire thing into market square.
So there went $3 million. Now, $2.5 in the Casa Nylon, now 500,000 in the cameras. Like it doesn't -- they're not going to fix the problems that are there. Like little by little we'll do it, but not with big money dumps like that.
DALE: Right.
MOTORCYCLE COPS ARE REALLY USED AS MONEY MAKERS
------------------------------------------------------
DALE: So it's -- and we're short several, you know, in that area, you know, so it's - resources aren't -- like I said, it's not unlimited. We work. We manage, you know, and we pull from here. But when you pull from there, well, then something has to give because, well, you're taking somebody else's resources, you know.Like the motorcycle division, if I have to supplement patrol, well, then they're not generating money for the city because every hour that they work on the streets, they basically generate about $500 worth of citations. In reality that transfers to about $250 after warnings and time credits served and -- or judges just issuing out dismiss cases. It's usually half that.
TETREAU: (Inaudible)
DALE: Yes, but when you take them away and you give them some other assignments, that's what's -- the revenue is being lost.
DALE POLITICKING WITH TETREAU, THEN FILES COMPLAINT
---------------------------------------------------------------
TETREAU: Now -- now your role in chief, you're going to understand the dynamic of, like, seven commission members and having to (inaudible). I always feel so bad for Michael and -
DALE: Well, you know -
TETREAU: You have it -- Charlie (Cabler, former city manager) knew the politics of it.
DALE: Yeah, yeah, right. Well, I told the -- you know, the chief, I mean, because, yeah, as your commander, you only have one boss, right? And it's the chief.
But if you happen to get into that position, well, you have multiple chiefs. It's not just one chief. You know, you have -- you have eight bosses, you know.
Every -- you know. So -- and, yeah, well, that's just the way it is, you know, because everybody has got a responsibility and you're elected, you know, to cover your district, and they've got needs, you know, so you're their voice. If you don't say anything, who will, you know?
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN, THIS IS NEECE'S BRAIN ON WEED
------------------------------------------------------------
TETRAU: The problem child of us is Ben because, if you don't do what he wants, he destroys you, like, you know, perjury this -- just like he's freaking nuts.
DALE: Yeah.TETREAU: (Inaudible) should not smoke weed. That's bad for you so -
DALE: (Laughing)
FEMALE VOICE: It fries your brain. But it's just hard for me to work with somebody that, you know, is so erratic. Like I don't understand where he comes from.
AND THE PLUG BY DALE TO BE CHIEF OF POLICE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TETREAU: But, anyways, you're doing a good job. I just recommend that, like -- because the decision is coming up very soon, make sure you keep all of your commissioners very happy and -
DALE: Yes.
TETREAU -- talk to them and keep them in the loop and show them the, you know, the overall statistics of the city and how you're going to fix it and what your plans are. Like think big and make sure you impress them.
DALE: Right. Well, I hope so. (Laughing) That's the game plan anyway, you know.
TETREAU: Yeah.
DALE: We'll see what the score is, you know.