News Roundup: Texas Proposes $12K Raises To Retain Adult Protective Services Workers

Our daily look at Texas headlines.

By Becky FogelSeptember 17, 2018 1:22 pm

The Standard’s news roundup gives you a quick hit of interesting, sometimes irreverent, and breaking news stories from all over the state.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, or DFPS, wants more money for staff who work with vulnerable adults.

The agency is proposing $12,000 raises for roughly 500 Adult Protective Services frontline workers. The idea is to create parity between their salaries and that of Child Protective Services caseworkers, who got raises last year. DFPS oversees both APS and CPS.

DFPS Commissioner Hank Whitman says in fact, some APS workers switched to CPS for the better pay.

“And you have to understand, APS in comparison to CPS is small. There’s not as many case workers at all as compared to CPS, so if they were to lose 20 or 30 caseworkers [it] is devastating to them,” Whitman said, during a meeting of the Legislative Budget Board at the end of last week.

The agency is one of many presenting their appropriations requests ahead of the 2019 legislative session. Whitman says that the need to serve older adults is growing.

“I’ve ridden along with APS workers, and let me tell you that the job is just as difficult as being a CPS worker. The only thing is that adults can make their choice. Children, when we come to their environment, we have to make the choices that we see when we observe that,” he says.

 APS investigates abuse, neglect, and exploitation of adults who are elderly or have disabilities.

 




Activists are calling attention to the police-shooting deaths of two black men in north Texas this month. Dozens of people marched to AT&T Stadium Sunday while the Dallas Cowboys played the New York Giants.

Protestors pushed two caskets: one representing 26-year-old Botham Jean, who was shot and killed in his own apartment by Amber Guyger, a white Dallas Police officer. The other was for 24-year-old O’Shae Terry, who was shot as he was taking off from a traffic stop in Arlington. A second officer who arrived on the scene of the traffic stop, fired five shots in Terry’s SUV as he attempted to flee.

Dr. Frederik D. Haynes III, pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, spoke at the demonstration about the loss of Jean and Terry.

“In their honor, furthering their legacy, number one: We are calling for Officer Guyger, right now, to be fired. We are saying to the Dallas Police Department, ‘Do the right thing, and fire Guyger,’” Haynes said.

This video is courtesy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Haynes added that Guyger should be charged with murder in Jean’s death, not manslaughter. Funeral services were held for Jean, who is originally from St. Lucia, this past Thursday. Terry was buried on Saturday.




The Fort Worth Police Department says donations are being collected for the family of an officer who died in the line of duty last week.

Officer Garrett Hull was shot in the head early Friday morning while pursuing robbery suspects; he died later that night.

At a press conference Friday, Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald called Hull, who was 40 years old, a “true hero.” Fitzgerald added that, as an organ donor, Hull will continue to help others.

“As as candidates are matched up with him, we’ll see him prolong the lives of other folks that potentially can live a long and prosperous life because [of] the sacrifice that he made,” Fitzgerald said.

Hull is survived by a wife and two children.