Squabble over Lubbock constable's truck wrap cost taxpayers small money, shows ongoing tiff

An ongoing disagreement over the graphics on a law enforcement pickup truck has highlighted a longstanding conflict between a Lubbock County commissioner and a constable and revealed that both elected officials may have behaved in a way unbecoming of their authority.

Precinct 4 Constable Tony Jackson and Precinct 2 Commissioner Jason Corley can't seem to agree on whether constables' vehicles have to be clearly marked under Texas law, or who is authorized to decide how the vehicles are inscribed.

The tiff came to a climax in May when Corley intercepted Jackson's new county pickup truck before it was delivered to the constable and had it marked with a bright, neon-yellow stripe and large, blue letters. The bright decals covered both sides of the vehicle, the tailgate and the roof.

Jackson ordered the Ford F-150 Police Responder back in 2021 and initially indicated to the Lubbock County Commissioners Court he planned to clearly mark it as a law enforcement vehicle, according to court records. However, when he received the truck with the bright vinyl graphics applied, Jackson garaged the vehicle and had the markings removed a few weeks later.

The truck was delivered to Lubbock County on May 4, 2023 and immediately taken to Signs on the Go, where the decals were applied the next day at a cost of $1,200. Jackson picked the vehicle up from the county garage on May 8.

The same day Jackson received the truck, Corley sent a news release to numerous members of the Lubbock-area media with photos of the vehicle.

"I would Like to publicly thank Constable Tony Jackson for being such a visible part of law enforcement in Lubbock County. His new Patrol vehicle’s color scheme clearly delineates him as a member of law enforcement. The people of Lubbock county will instantly know who to turn to in an emergency," the release reads.

By May 22, Jackson had replaced the markings with small, inconspicuous letters reading "LUBBOCK COUNTY C4" on the bottom of the doors. Removal and replacement of the markings cost the county $111.

State law requires city- and county-owned vehicles to be inscribed with the name of the city or county and the name of the department that operates the vehicle, and the lettering must be visible from 100 feet away.

The law allows for an exemption to inscription requirements for law enforcement vehicles, including constables' offices, with the approval of the county's commissioners court.

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Corley told the A-J that officials with the Tax Assessor's Office and the Purchasing Office informed him that Jackson was refusing to mark his vehicle as required by statute and would not be given exempt license plates.

"An elected official who's a member of law enforcement refusing to follow the law? There's nothing funny about it," Corley said.

It would require approval from the commissioner's court to grant county vehicles a waiver of the markings, according to law.

"I don't believe that should be the case and no other member of the court seemed interested in granting that either," Corley said.

Corley said unmarked county vehicles would expose the county to liability and also poses a safety issue.

"So, that's pretty cut and dry what this was all about," he said.

Part of a constable's duty is to enforce eviction orders, which often involves heightened emotions that could lead to violence.

"If he pulls up in an unmarked Tahoe to evict somebody and they don't immediately recognize him as law enforcement, then that's just somebody trying to kick them out of their house," Corley said. "How do you know (that) somebody didn't go down to the costume shop and dress up. Or if you've got a dispute with your landlord, how do you know this is really the constable."

Corley said Jackson had no authority to decide not to mark his vehicle, nor to remove the decals from the truck without commissioners' approval.

Corley told the A-J he believes that before the vehicle was issued to Jackson's office, it was the property of the Purchasing Department, which falls under the commissioner's court.

"The markings were done before he received the vehicle," he said. "The county took possession of it when it was shipped in. "

Jackson says Corley had no authority to apply the decals in the first place, since Jackson is the head of his own department.

Before removing the graphics, Jackson contacted the civil division of the district attorney's office to seek guidance on the issue, noting the markings made him feel unsafe.

"The vehicle … is now unusable due to the markings on it. The markings are so profuse, they create an officer safety issue," Jackson wrote in an email to Civil Division Chief Neal Burt. "Modern law enforcement requires subtlety and a low key, professional demeanor to prevent the escalation of citizen contacts into violent encounters. The garish markings on the vehicle create the exact opposite effect."

Corley said he chose those colors "to make it clearly visible that that was a member of law enforcement. " He said while Jackson's badge would also identify him as a law enforcement officer, patrol vehicles are often clear indicators of law enforcement presence.

However, compared to other constables' vehicles, the colors Corley chose to add to Jackson's vehicle are unconventional for American law enforcement vehicles.

"Law enforcement does have some discretion on what color the vehicle is that they're marking it with," he said. "So, you know, Park Rangers, Border Patrol agents tend to use green. Other sheriff's offices may use green or may use a dark brown. So, there's room in the law for that just so long as it clearly delineates that it's a government vehicle and covers the appropriate number of square inches on the vehicle."

In September 2022, Jackson received a 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe that was taken out of service by the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office as a temporary replacement for his 2012 Tahoe, which was experiencing myriad maintenance issues. The sheriff's office striping was removed, and Jackson had the "LUBBOCK COUNTY C4" lettering applied.

When asking the county's purchasing department to process a standard registration for the temporary Tahoe — a license plate without the word "exempt" printed on it — the purchasing department informed him that was not permissible without Commissioners Court approval, according to emails and text messages obtained by the Avalanche-Journal. Jackson initially planned not to mark the Tahoe at all, but applied the lettering in order to receive the registration.

Corley is not a fan of the subtle markings, messages revealed. He said he feels the markings do not comply with state transportation code and that Jackson acted out of bounds.

In one series of text messages exchanged between Corley, Jackson and Precinct 4 Commissioner Jordan Rackley on March 7, Corley said Jackson's Tahoe "isn't properly labeled" and did not meet state inscription requirements. Jackson responded he would like his new truck to be unmarked. He said he only marked the Tahoe because "the Tax Assessor wouldn't issue me the proper tags, which I believe was unlawful."

Corley then sent the group a picture of an apparently European patrol car with neon yellow and bright blue Battenburg markings and said, "That's what yours is going to look like before you receive it." Jackson quipped, "Will my beat include the Autobahn? That could be fun."

Corley said he doesn't believe Jackson's vehicle as it's marked now meets the statute.

"What does C4 mean to you?" he said. "As far as I know, C4 is a pre workout drink. C4's a plastic explosive."

Corley said he is also consulting with the Lubbock County District Attorney's Office on whether Jackson violated the law when he removed the original markings.

"I'm just waiting to hear back from the DA's office about whether or not criminal charges could be pursued against him for destroying county property," he said.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Squabble Lubbock constable truck cost small money, shows bigger tiff