Three suburban Houston police officers accused of using excessive force have been reassigned to other departments in their city government -- with one appointed dog-catcher.
The three Webster Police Department officers accused of hitting, kicking and stomping on a man have been on paid suspension since December.
Webster's interim police chief, Thomas Claunch, tells the Houston Chronicle the town is too small to keep paying employees who aren't working. Claunch had revoked their police powers, so one officer was assigned to be a handyman, the other to be a property inspector, and the third to work as a dogcatcher.
The three could receive up to a year in jail if convicted of misdemeanor official oppression. Their attorney says the three saved the man from "suicide by cop."
