A veteran was denied a restroom. His case calls Dallas police oversight into question

After his complaint went viral, civilian police watchdogs say they lost authority to investigate complaints. THE BIG STORY [DyNell Lane waits to speak in the public comment section of Dallas' Community Police Oversight Board meeting at Dallas City Hall on Feb. 13. Photo by Nathan Hunsinger, special contributor.]( DyNell Lane waits to speak in the public comment section of Dallas' Community Police Oversight Board meeting at Dallas City Hall on Feb. 13.(Nathan Hunsinger / Special Contributor) [A veteran was denied a restroom. His case calls Dallas police oversight into question]( DyNell Lane had been seeking answers for months when he stepped up to a podium in February to address a group of civilian police watchdogs. “I really just want to know the status of what’s going on,” the disabled veteran told Dallas’ Community Police Oversight Board, made up of 15 residents appointed by the City Council. Nine months ago, Lane filed a complaint over an incident in which four police officers laughed after he urinated on himself when he wasn’t allowed to use the restroom at a Deep Ellum pizza joint. The incident was caught on body camera video and the case went viral after the oversight office shared the footage at one of its monthly meetings. He’s still waiting for the Dallas Police Department to address the officers’ behavior. The city’s [handling of Lane’s case has led to questions from the oversight board](, activists and experts about Dallas’ commitment to independent police oversight, according to an investigation by The Dallas Morning News. At issue is how the city’s oversight office — and the civilian board that guides it — lost its authority to investigate complaints when its only investigator was shifted out of his role and lost its control over what grievances could be reviewed when the power was diminished by city officials, multiple board members told The News. The News interviewed 10 board members, as well as city leaders, activists and national civilian police oversight experts, who identified multiple obstacles impeding oversight. Here's what we found. [READ MORE]( [The Dallas Morning News]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [X (formerly Twitter)]( [YouTube]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Account Login]( | [Help Center]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Service]( [Manage Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( ©2024 The Dallas Morning News • 1954 Commerce St. • Dallas, TX 75201