Brief overview: The citizens of Hamlin Texas have filed multiple complaints of misconduct with zero action taken by our city officials or leaders. Our constitution rights are being violated and ignored by our city officials and leaders. This petition is by no means created to tarnish our city or police department but to hold them accountable for their actions or lack of. Please read full story below. If you support the cause in good faith please sign. (Please do not sign this simply out of dislike for the individual.) But in support of the cause, which is excercising & upholding our rights as the tax paying citizens of Hamlin Texas.

Full overview:

The City of Hamlin is a small community located in Central Texas. In rural communities like ours sometimes it is difficult to bring awareness to injustice.

We are dealing with a police department that is allowing officers on multiple occasions to violate procedures and peoples 4th amendment rights in order to arrest and disrupt the community. We have dealt with the death of a mentally ill citizen in the hands of the Hamlin Police. With little to no consequences or charges filed. Now we are dealing with one particular officer that is violating the rights of citizens on a daily basis.

  **    I was arrested in Feb and booked only to find out the next day from the Nolan county courts that the warrant was invalid. The Nolan county judge is just as confused as I am how this warrant landed in the hands of this officer and the Hamlin PD. I was illegally pulled over as a passenger and taken to jail on a misdemeanor. Never once showed me any paperwork nor did he ever read me my rights. A week goes by I then received a ticket in the mail that was written 4 days prior to my arrest and mailed to the me the day I was arrested for driving without a license. In which I was also the passenger the day the ticket was written. Sent to the wrong address also. How do you write a ticket four days before actually mailing and just so happens to be the same day I was taken to jail. That shows he premeditated the warrant and arrest while never pulling me over or having any interaction with me personally at all. My name was placed in the Hamlin Herald as some type of criminal when in fact I was singled out and investigated illegally by this officer. He watched my home in alleys near my house, late hours of the night. Following our vehicles..using scare tactics like flash lighting our house and alleys at night. Almost as if he is attempting to terrorize or intimidate. This behavior persist til this day. He has zero remorse for anyone's rights. Why is he illegally investigating me? Is it legal for police officers to single out and investigate any citizen they choose? Because that is what took place in this situation. He took it upon himself and got the ok from our chief to investigate and arrest me without probable cause on an invalid warrant. He stakes out the business im helping open also. Parking in multiple vantage points where he can see who comes and goes from the establishment all while running plates and names of anyone who comes there. That isn't right to be trying to open a business and get harassed for it. It makes it almost not worth opening it at all if the people of the city will allow our business to basically be constantly monitored by one officer only. If this isn't a form of discrimination and harassment to the leaders of our town then sadly we have failed to uphold a moral fabric in our community leadership and positions. Now that I have paid to bond out the chief is pointing his finger elsewhere while they are asking why I was arrested in the first place. Miscommunication excuse is not my concern. My concern in being illegally investigated and house monitored without probable cause is police misconduct and a violation of my 4th Amendment rights. 

We should not have to be afraid to walk up the street with worry of being pulled over walking. He has illegally made arrest and multiple complaints have been filed by multiple people. Yet he still remains an officer of the Hamlin Police Department and still continues to use misconduct in his duties in order to arrest or cite individuals. Why are our 4th and 5th Amendment rights being allowed to be violated by this officer? And why isn't the chief of police responding to any of the complaints seriously? A teams integrity is only as good as it's leadership. So to know that peoples rights are being violated without consequences is a recipe for disaster. Its allowing this officer to run his own private investigation on everyday people not breaking a law or committing any crimes. Following them..staking out homes and other forms of intimidating acts that make the people of Hamlin Texas feel very unsafe when he is on duty. We support our Police Department and have the utmost respect for anyone who serves our community well. But when you use tax payers dollars and abuse your position of power, it is within our rights to start this petition to have this officer, Badge #755 J. Benavides removed from his duties as a Hamlin Police officer for misconduct and violating citizens 4th amendment rights.

It should not take this to have morals and integrity about doing the right thing, the right way. No one person is above the law and no local agency should be allowed to bend the law or the rules in favor of profit or protection of any said officer. We the citizens of Hamlin will stand against our rights beings violated and ignored by the leaders we have appointed to protect and serve the community. The agency is supposed to work for the people and the people should not be afraid of any officer of the law. Hamlin has the utmost respect for law enforcement and we are proud of our officers that made changes and try to act with a moral compass and not their own personal judgements of any individuals in this town. We've already lost a life that broke the hearts of many at the hands of police,  and we do not want to lose another one at the hands of this officer that is being allowed to use misconduct in his arrest.We have rights and a due process of law that must be taken into consideration before an officers can make a judgement or take action. Its time to take a stand and have your voice be heard. Your names won't be publicly published. Let's stand together as a city and put a stop to this injustice towards all of our citizens of Hamlin Texas. Remove this officer and restore peace in Hamlin Texas. Our rights matter and if we allow this type of behavior its a reflection on our entire towns integrity and city leadership. "The 1983  act allows people to sue the government for civil rights violations. It applies when someone acting state level or local law has deprived a person of rights created by the U.S. Constitution or federal statutes. 42 U.S.C." We the people of Hamlin have rights, so please stand together and sign the petition to remove this officer from his duties.