Career Advice To Texas Cops: Don’t Take Pics With Black Rappers

snoop dogg
Photo fro Instagram

Recently a photo of Snoop Dog and a Texas State Trooper have been circulating the internet. It seems the state trooper in question, Billy Spears, may have some explaining to do. Spears’s superiors found it inappropriate for the officer to take a photo with someone like Snoop Dogg (or Lion, or whatever animal he is this year). According to the counseling record, this is an official reprimand from Spears’s department:

?While working a secondary employment job, Trooper Spears took a photo with a public figure who has a well-known criminal background including numerous drug charges,? the department wrote in a reprimand. ?The public figure posted the photo on social media and it reflects poorly on the Agency.?

Here is a picture of the Counseling Record for trooper Spears;.

Photo from lawflog.com
Photo from lawflog.com

What’s interesting about all this case is that this may be the first time we’ve heard of an officer getting into hot water because of the ?criminal background? of the person he or she had taken a photo with. So this brings up the obvious question, what’s so different about this photo?

Well the answer seems obvious. Snoop Dog is a famous black rapper who raps about drugs and even has a song that includes lyrics like ?because it’s 187 on an undercover cop.? Snoop also has many convictions for drug (marijuana) possession and was even on trial for murder at one point — he was later acquitted. One could argue that this alone should raise eyebrows. But that’s not the reason they gave for the reprimand. They argued he shouldn’t have taken the photo because of Snoop Dogg’s criminal history. Howevr according to Ty Clevenger, an attorney representing trooper Spears,

?Billy did not know about Snoop Dogg’s criminal history,? claims Ty Clevenger, an attorney representing the trooper, wrote on his website. ?Believe it or not, some folks don’t watch TMZ or read People Magazine. ? Would the DPS hierarchy get so bent out of shape about a picture with Willie Nelson??

?DPS has no policy requiring a criminal background check on everyone who requests a picture with a uniformed trooper,? the attorney stated. ?In fact, DPS has no policy forbidding a photograph with someone who has a criminal conviction.?

His attorney seems to hint at a racist double standard, but is it a fair question? One has to wonder if the trooper had taken the photo with Martha Stewart or Mark Wahlburg would there be similar backlash?

When trooper Spears was ordered to describe how he would avoid similar situations in the future, he wrote;

?Refuse photos?

Just a reminder…

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See the Young Turks video of this story below.