Tag Archives: police
The Prosecution Rests
The Aransas County DA hasn't prosecuted criminal cases from the Rockport Police Department for more than a year. Is she taking on bad cops or abusing her power?
by Ciara O’Rourke September 14, 2018 On the evening of August 15, 2017, as Hurricane Harvey was just starting to take shape in the Atlantic, the Rockport ...Read More
How Texas Cops Turn Mental Health Crises into Deportations
Two recent cases in Central Texas illustrate how police aggression and the “sanctuary cities” ban have built a nasty pipeline to deportation.
Two recent cases in Central Texas illustrate how police aggression and the “sanctuary cities” ban have built a nasty pipeline to deportation. – by Gus...Read More
State Rejects ‘Anti-Muslim’ Police Training After Public Outcry
TCOLE director Kim Vickers said Wednesday he rejected the course for “paint[ing] an entire religion with an overly broad brush.”
UPDATE: In a pair of letters sent Wednesday, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) announced it has rejected a May 4 police training in San Angelo giv...Read More
How Ken Paxton, Twitter Celebs and National Media Botched Coverage of the Austin Bombings
As details about the bomber continue to emerge, it’s worth examining who kept us grounded in facts during the explosive saga, and who led us astray.
Mark Conditt, suspect in the series of bombings that rocked Texas’ Capital city over the last few weeks, is dead. The 23-year-old’s alleged campaign include...Read More
Oscar-Nominated Documentary Highlights the Routine Brutality of a Texas Traffic Stop
Breaion King’s arrest was quotidian to police, life-altering for her and reveals the chasm between police and the people they’re supposed to protect and serve.
“I’m in my car. Why do I have to put out my cigarette?” That’s what an irritated Sandra Bland asked the Texas Department of Public Safety trooper who pu...Read More
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo on Sanctuary Cities, Police Unions and Tommy Guns
Houston's police chief rose to the top of Texas' largest police force while inserting himself in thorny political debates.
As I enter Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo’s downtown office, he’s just wrapped up a TV interview, and the moment we finish talking, he’ll rush downstair...Read More
Austin City Council Takes a Step Toward Police Reform, Rejects Union Contract
Activists said the contract would perpetuate a broken system of citizen oversight and shield cops who engage in misconduct.
Late Wednesday night, after almost nine hours of impassioned public testimony, Austin City Council rejected a police union contract that watchdogs say would per...Read More
Dallas Grand Jury Indicts Cop Who Shot Unarmed Man Mistaken for Burglar
Former Mesquite Police Department officer Derick Wiley, who shot Lyndo Jones last month, is the third Dallas-area cop to face criminal charges for an on-duty shooting in 2017.
On Wednesday, a Dallas County grand jury indicted the officer who shot an unarmed black man who police mistook for a car burglar last month, marking the third D...Read More
How the Expiration of Austin’s Police Union Contract Could be a Rare Opportunity for Reform
Austin is the latest city where activists have sought police reform by targeting collective bargaining agreements.
For a manual on police union negotiations, Ron DeLord’s early work makes for an entertaining read. The former head of the Combined Law Enforcement Association...Read More