By Kelly Young
news@jacksonvilleprogress.com
NEW SUMMERFIELD – New Summerfield’s new police chief is no stranger to the law – both sides of the law.
Having been arrested and reprimanded numerous times in the past few years, Michael Meissner, is what is known in the world of law-enforcement as a “gypsy cop.”
Records show Meissner has worked 16 law enforcement jobs during his 13-year career, moving frequently to stay one step ahead of his reputation. In a previous interview, Meissner claimed to have 17 years of experience.
Booking sheets show that Meissner was arrested twice in 2005 on Tarrant County warrants, once by the Department of Public Safety for tampering with a witness (a state-jail felony) and operating a security company without a license (a class-A misdemeanor), and once by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office for impersonating a peace officer (a third-degree felony) and operating a security company without a license. He was also arrested in 2006 by the Cockrell Hill Police Department for a “fraudulent substandard degree.”
All charges stemming from his 2005 arrests have been dismissed. The investigation by the CHPD is still pending.
Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCLEOSE) documents show that Meissner has received two reprimands from the commission for failing to notify them regarding his arrests.
“He was reprimanded on Nov. 2 of 2006 and again on Dec. 8 of 2006 for failing to report his arrests,” said James Heironimus, director of enforcement and licensing for TCLEOSE.
TCLEOSE requires peace officers to report any arrest, charge or indictment for a criminal offense above the level of class-C misdemeanor within 30 days of the incident.
Meissner has also had his Master Peace Officer Certificate stripped from him by TCLEOSE.
“He received his master peace officer certificate based on a diploma from LaSalle University in Mandeville, Louisiana – which is a diploma mill where can buy your diploma,” Heironimus said. “Once we found that his diploma was fraudulent, his certificate was canceled.”
According to Heironimus, TCLEOSE must be notified before a peace officer can be hired to any law-enforcement position. Meissner failed to receive approval from the agency before applying for the New Summerfield position.
“He did not file the appropriate paper work to accept the position in New Summerfield. He would need to be appointed to the job by TCLEOSE before he could take office,” Heironimus said. “He does not have a commission, so in our eyes, he is not an active peace officer.”
The city of New Summerfield failed to request employment records for peace officers it was considering hiring, Heironimus said.
“A law went into effect in September of 2005 requiring agencies to contact us when hiring new personnel to get background information and employment records on their applicants,” Heironimus said. “No one from New Summerfield contacted this office that we are aware of.”
Heironimus said the law was enacted in order to combat the ability of gypsy cops to move around the system.
“Meissner has been the focus of a continuing inquiry for several months,” he said.
For accepting the police chief job in New Summerfield, Meissner could potentially be charged with impersonating a peace officer.
A Web Site has been established, www.michaelmeissner.com, cataloging information and documents regarding Meissner’s career and jail record. According to Heironimus, he has reviewed the site, and found its information to be “pretty accurate.”
Before coming to New Summerfield, Meissner served in police departments in Grand Saline, Crandall, Princeton, Canton, Edgewood, Malakoff, Ladonia, Caddo Mills, Lone Oak, Bardwell and Caney City. He also worked for a year at the Van Zandt Sheriff’s Office as a jailer.
Documents acquired by the Jacksonville Daily Progress indicate that numerous negative reports and reprimands disappeared from Meissner’s personnel file while he was serving on the Caddo Mills police force.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department has been made aware of the situation and is investigating.
