Ft. Worth Cops Suspend Bar Checks

Continuing to backpedal from their involvement in the raid of the Rainbow Lounge, the Fort Worth police department says they are suspending "bar checks" in conjunction with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

The announcement by Chief Halstead came four days after a raid at the Rainbow Lounge by six Fort Worth officers and two Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents left one patron hospitalized with a head injury. "I think it's an excellent first step," said Todd Camp, founder of Fort Worth's Q Cinema gay and lesbian film festival. "I'm glad to hear that both departments are conducting investigations. As a long-time resident of Fort Worth, I look forward to working with the police department to make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

Rainbow Lounge patron Chad Gibson, who suffered a head injury during what witnesses described as an unnecessarily rough arrest, is scheduled to be released from the hospital today. Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead has ordered multicultural training for his officers, probably with an eye towards coming civil lawsuits as an internal investigation of the raid continues.