Texas revokes Trinidad police license after arrest over water-safety Facebook post

The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement sent a revocation notice to Trinidad Mayor Dennis Haws, stating the city’s police department failed to meet basic law-enforcement standards and could not prove it provides a public benefit. An August investigation found the department lacked 18 mandatory policies, including use-of-force and active-shooter protocols. The probe originated after Jennifer Combs was arrested in May on a felony false-alarm charge for a Facebook post warning that bacteria in the municipal water had hospitalized residents, even though the city had earlier advised boiling water.

Police chief Charles Gregory initially defended the arrest but later stepped down, and the felony charge against Combs and a misdemeanor charge against Winston Noles were dismissed. Following the revocation, the department, which employs five full-time and several part-time officers, will cease operations on Friday, with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office taking over all calls for the 800-plus-resident town. Concurrently, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality identified problems with Trinidad’s water supply, prompting city officials to pledge remediation.