'gypsy cops'

By BYRON HARRIS / WFAA-TV

WFAA Some considere Meissner, police chief of Caney City, a 'gypsy cop.'
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Byron Harris reports
•News 8 Investigates
Just about every day, there's a story in the local news about big city law enforcement.
But what about small town cops?
Overwhelmingly, they're honest, hard-working people who are generally underpaid.
Then there are those who work in small towns because they cannot get a job anywhere else.
Michael Meissner is the police chief of Caney City, Texas. He is the only paid officer for the small town. Despite that, he goes to work when he chooses.
Records show over his 14 years in law enforcement, he has worked for 15 different police departments.
Many consider Meissner a "gypsy cop".
What is a "gypsy cop"?
Catherine Smit, the chief of police in Cockrell Hill, says they are "officers who've been terminated from one agency and they're able to move to another agency and get another job without that agency ever checking on their background."
Smit knows Meissner. Her department arrested him last summer on a warrant from Dallas County. Meissner had applied for a police job using a phony college degree in criminal justice management. That “university” -- LaSalle University in Mandeville, Louisiana -- is not accredited.
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement found out and revoked Meissner's Peace Officer's certificate in 2003, but he kept using it to apply for jobs.
A man who worked with Meissner at one Texas police department talked to News 8, but asked not to be identified. He said Meissner destroys files and evidence and then tries to cover it up.
"In East Texas, you can do anything if you're a police officer and you're in a position of power," he said.
To preserve their power, bad cops need their Peace Officer's certificate from the state. Without it, they cannot work in law enforcement.
They cannot work in security jobs, either. Most small town police officers in North Texas supplement their income by working security jobs in their off-duty hours. That's why they have to keep their records clean.
News 8 asked Meissner how many times he had been arrested, but Meissner had no comment.
News 8 obtained documents that showed Meissner was arrested twice in 2005. One was on a warrant for tampering with a witness and operating a security company without a license. The other arrest was for impersonating a police officer.
When News 8 requested the records from Smith County, they had disappeared.
Last fall, News 8 visited Joe Barron, the mayor of Caney City. He said he did not know his police chief had been arrested or that he had been reprimanded by the state for not reporting his arrests as the law requires. Also, the mayor did not know Meissner lost his top-level Master Peace Officer's certificate for lying about his degree.
In theory, the mayor could have discovered Meissner's record if he had checked with the state. But a police officer's employment record can often be inaccurate because cities cover for cops who make mistakes.
When Mayor Barron looked up Meissner's personnel records, they had disappeared.
News 8 spent four months tracking down Meissner to talk with him about this in person. His only known address is a post office box in Mesquite. Despite our questions, he remains the Chief of Police in Caney City. He also told News 8 by phone that there are a lot of officers who are just like him.