The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement has officially ordered the Trinidad Police Department to disband, ruling that the agency failed to provide any measurable benefit to the community. This decision, communicated in a letter sent to Mayor Dennis Haws, marks the end of the line for the small department after a state investigation uncovered a massive lack of operational oversight.
As reported by the NY Post, it may seem wild to see a police department shut down for failing to meet basic standards, but the state determined that this agency was missing 18 critical policies. These missing guidelines reportedly included essential protocols for use of force, vehicle pursuits, professional conduct, and active shooter responses.
The catalyst for this entire situation was the arrest of a local mother, Jennifer Combs, back in May. She was reportedly taken into custody on a felony charge of false alarm or report and spent a night in jail after she shared a post on Facebook claiming that bacteria in the local water pipes had sent residents to the hospital.
The police said her post caused unnecessary panic
The police department defended this move at the time, arguing that her post caused unnecessary panic. This was an incredibly poor look for the department, especially considering the city had issued its own notice in April, urging residents to boil their water to avoid harmful bacteria.
Despite these contradictions, the situation escalated further when police arrested a supporter of Combs named Winston Noles. He was hit with a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct for displaying a sign that had a foul word for cops outside of City Hall.
However, the charges against both Combs and Noles were eventually dropped after the case caught national attention. The department’s former leader, Chief Charles Gregory, resigned on June 19. This came despite his claims at a city council meeting that he had “nothing to hide” regarding the controversial arrests.
The aftermath of these events has been telling. The judge who signed off on the search warrant for Combs later wrote a letter questioning the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of the information provided by the officers involved and the leadership of Gregory. By August, the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office made the call to stop accepting cases from the department entirely.
It is also worth noting that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality later confirmed issues with the water supply, validating the very concerns that Combs had initially raised. City officials have since promised to address those water quality problems.
Following the news of the department’s closure, Combs took to Facebook to express her perspective on the outcome. She wrote that “for months, citizens who questioned this department were dismissed, attacked and in my case arrested.”
She added, “Now the state agency responsible for regulating Texas law enforcement has confirmed that this department could not demonstrate compliance with even the minimum standards. We were never the problem. We were exposing it.”
Mayor Haws noted that he was “not a shock” that the state made the decision to shut the department down. He reportedly told the media that there has been a lot of neglect over the years and that the city is now focused on moving in a positive direction.
Published: Sep 16, 2026 10:30 am