Another Dirty Policeman

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo announced a slew of reforms for his department’s Narcotics Division in a tweet, hours after Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said 69 defendants convicted on the testimony of former drug cop Gerald Goines might have their cases overturned.

The changes announced Wednesday require more rigorous oversight and signoff from supervisors for narcotics operations, tighter controls on confidential informants and payments, and memorialize the already-announced requirement of high-level approval for “no-knock” raids like the fatal Harding Street one led by Goines early last year.

Acevedo did not comment on the policy revisions Wednesday.

The police department spent months working on a now-completed audit of the Narcotics Division, but Acevedo has yet to release the results of that review, which the Chronicle has requested.

The changes come 13 months after the Harding Street raid, which left two people dead and five officers injured.