Elderly Woman's Arrest Spurs Changes

[AP]

HIGHLAND PARK, Texas (AP) -- The police department is
changing its arrest practices after a 97-year-old woman was detained
for an outstanding traffic warrant, provoking a flurry of response,
officials said.
Public safety officials said in a news release Friday that
officers and supervisors have been granted broader discretion on
arrests on traffic warrants until the policy is reviewed.
Former teacher Harriette Kelton was arrested, handcuffed and
taken to jail last month after officers stopped her car for having
an expired registration and inspection sticker.
She was in custody about two hours before her attorney
arrived and she was released on her own recognizance.
Police said then that officers had no choice but to arrest
Kelton. But the department was inundated with e-mails and phone
calls -- with mixed opinions on the arrest -- and officials added a
comments feature to the department's Web site.
The plan to review arrest policies sounds like a good move,
Kelton said.
"They used no discretion in mine," she told The Dallas
Morning News for Saturday editions. "They ought to have some of
their policies changed."
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On the Net:
Highland Park Department of Public Safety: www.hpdps.org