Activists want HPD officer fired after he was seen roughing up an inmate while working at jail

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A group of local activists are questioning why an officer at the Houston Police Department is still employed after a video surfaced showing him slamming a female inmate to the ground during his time working in the jail.

According to Texas Commission on Law Enforcement records, Deven Ortiz worked as a detention officer at the Harris County Jail for 25 months.

In that time, the sheriff's office said in a statement that he was the subject of "multiple Internal Affairs investigations," and their disciplinary board recommended termination. Instead, he resigned in April 2024.

One of the incidents he was involved in was captured on video inside the jail, showing him pushing a handcuffed female inmate against the wall, throwing her to the ground, yanking her off the ground, and repeating it again. The sheriff's office said it happened on Jan. 17, 2024, while he took the inmate to court.

In the same month that Ortiz resigned, he entered the Houston Police Academy and graduated as a probationary officer in November.

"We do not need the Harris County Jail and all the violence there coming out onto the streets of Houston," civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen said.

Kallinen was among activists who gathered outside City Hall Thursday morning to voice their concerns.

"Being a police officer is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, but y'all are willing to let this dangerous officer work side by side good officers, putting other officers' lives in danger?" former HPD officer Kathy Swilley said.

HPD said Ortiz is on administrative duty while they investigate the incident seen in the video and determine what he disclosed in his application.

"Why is this officer still on the payroll and being paid by taxpayers?" Tammie Lang Campbell, the Honey Brown Hope Foundation founder, asked. "Why? You got the video. You see what was done."

Activists are now also questioning HPD's hiring practices. It is unclear if the department had access to information about the incidents at the sheriff's office since he was allowed to resign.

"Did the HPD recruiter do a background check?" Swilley asked. "Every case, every recruit that this HPD officer recruited to go through the HPD Academy, all those officers should be investigated. Were they qualified or did they get a pass to just enter the police academy? This is not just about Officer (Ortiz). This makes every officer on the force look bad, and every cop should be speaking up. Where's the integrity?"

ABC13 posed the concerns to the Houston Police Department on Thursday, and a spokesperson referred to the statement issued Friday, saying they were investigating.

We also asked the sheriff's office a list of questions, including what information was available to HPD when they hired Ortiz. They re-sent a statement from Monday that did not answer the questions.

The sheriff's office said they turned over evidence they collected in the cases to the district attorney's office to determine if charges should be filed. ABC13 asked when that was handed over, considering the incident caught on video happened in January. They did not answer that question either.

"I challenge the mayor," Cynthia Cole, the executive director of AFSCME Local 15550, said. "I challenge the police chief, and I challenge citizens. You say you want there to be transparency and trust. You want us to trust law enforcement. Y'all, I don't know what to trust!"

ABC13 also contacted Houston Mayor John Whitmire's office to comment on whether he was aware of the situation and could intervene. We are awaiting a response.

For more on this story, follow Mycah Hatfield on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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