HOUSTON -- Houston police were caught breaking laws they issue citations for on a regular basis, the KPRC Local 2 Troubleshooters reported in an exclusive story Thursday.

Officers tried all kinds of tactics to keep their illegal secrets quiet, the station reported. Several threatened to arrest the Troubleshooters, others shouted insults and several officers snapped their picture.

Some worked hard on a cover-up. They covered the inspection stickers on their windshields, just so the Troubleshooters couldn't tell if their stickers were illegal as well. That's illegal, too.

"Officers are just as susceptible to forgetfulness and mistakes as everybody else," said Capt. Dwayne Ready, with the Houston Police Department.

But if everybody else lets their Texas registration or inspection stickers lapse, they are likely to get a pricey ticket, like Frank Adekiya is now holding.

"Fortunately for me, I was blessed this time and the judge dismissed the ticket because it was only nine days past due," Adekiya said.

"Nine days and you get a ticket?" KPRC Troubleshooter Stephen Dean said.

"Yes," Adekiya said.

His ticket was written near the northwest police station off Old Hempstead Road.

That's where Officer Deon Thomas has been driving a car to work with an expired inspection sticker and a registration that lapsed in August 2004. He sent a helper out to get his uniform so he could avoid the Troubleshooter's questions.

"I don't feel like it's fair. I just don't feel like it's fair," Adekiya said.

But other parts of town are much worse, such as 61 Riesner near downtown Houston. That's where the Traffic Enforcement Unit is based.

Officers wrote tickets this week for expired stickers just outside the Channel 2 studios, after the Troubleshooters investigation was mentioned to officers in roll call. They packed up and left when the Troubleshooters' camera arrived.

Outside 61 Riesner, an officer was spotted ticketing someone for having no front license tag. But at that station and all over town, the Troubleshooters found officers with no front tags.

A pickup truck had no front tag and the registration expired in May 2003. It belonged to Sgt. Curtis B. Young.

"You have any business writing tickets when yours is expired?" Dean said.

"What do you want me to say?" Young said.

"I'm asking you, sir," Dean said.

"I don't have anything to say," Young said.

"You don't have anything to say. You're out writing tickets for that same violation you're committing every day?" Dean said.

Young headed back out with his fellow downtown officers

A female officer had an inspection sticker 1 year old.

A Cadillac had a police sign in the window and both stickers were old.

A sergeant pulled over to tell the Troubleshooters that his 2005 sticker is not a story. He said his valid sticker was at home.

"I suspect that the division commanders are aware of this. As your story breaks, I'm sure it'll bring some attention to it and they'll address it," Ready said.

One of the worst stations for HPD is the Westside Command Center on Dairy Ashford, according to Dean. The Troubleshooters found more than two dozen officers driving cars with outdated stickers. If they really wanted to take care of the old stickers, all they had to do is drive across the street.

Two nearby shops could handle state inspections in a matter of minutes.

The Troubleshooters checked the westside HPD lot over several weeks. Some officers' inspections lapsed not last year, but in 2004.

A pickup truck's registration has been illegal for a year and an officer's van did not have any registration at all.

On the eastside, an officer's car had no stickers.

At the northeast station, a vehicle's inspection was illegal since 2003 and the registration expired nine months ago.

East of downtown, one officer's registration was bad and his inspection expired in January 2002.

Officer John Woods' van registration expired in June.

"Should you be writing tickets for stickers if you're violating it all the time?" Dean said.

"I can't make any comments. Talk to my supervisor first," Woods said.

"I'm asking about your personal vehicle," Dean said.

"My supervisor first and then me," Woods said.

"A double standard, sir?" Dean said.

"Sorry, Mr. Dean," Woods said.

HPD Chief Harold Hurtt declined an on-camera interview.

A spokesman said an officer could be terminated if he or she resists abiding by the same laws to which they hold others accountable.