Personnel records reviewed by KHOU show Officer Christopher Lamar Harris was terminated by HISD before being terminated by Aldine ISD. TSU still hired him.
HOUSTON — A police officer currently patrolling the campus of Texas Southern University was previously fired from one law enforcement agency, rehired by another and then terminated again after an internal investigation uncovered misconduct, according to records obtained by KHOU 11 Investigates.
Personnel records reviewed by KHOU show Officer Christopher Lamar Harris was first terminated by Houston Independent School District police in 2011 after investigators concluded he struck a student in the mouth with a closed fist, causing injuries severe enough that a trash can was needed to catch the blood.
About 14 months later, Harris was hired by the Aldine Independent School District police. While assigned to Drew Academy, records show Harris admitted to having sex numerous times on a school campus with a subordinate officer. Investigators said one encounter happened minutes before the first school bell rang and was captured on video recorded by Harris.
Aldine ISD terminated Harris in 2025, records show.
“It’s a pattern of behavior,” said Luis Soberon of Texas 2036, a nonpartisan public policy think tank that studied so-called “wandering officers” — officers fired by one department who later find jobs elsewhere.
“The research is pretty clear that wandering officers who are let go at one agency for misconduct and only get rehired at another one are more likely to engage in misconduct at that second agency. Often, wandering officers will do it again and again.”
Some TSU students questioned the hiring decision.
“It wasn’t a good decision, knowing his past, knowing what he’s done,” student Kylie Wilson said.
“That’s not acceptable at all,” added student Aleena Carrizales. “Around a bunch of students on this campus, he should not be here.”
KHOU asked TSU police officials why the department hired Harris despite his disciplinary history. The university’s police chief declined an interview, and a lieutenant who met with KHOU did not answer questions about the hiring decision. A university spokesperson told KHOU that TSU does not publicly discuss confidential personnel matters but “remains committed to complying with all applicable hiring standards.”
Soberon said his research revealed that smaller departments with tighter budgets can struggle to recruit officers, which may lead some agencies to lower hiring standards and hire officers with disciplinary histories.
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