Tag Archives: police
The Big Blue Obstacle to Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform
In the era of right-on-crime-backed efforts to curb mass incarceration, police unions have increasingly become a voice in the wilderness.
Jack Michael Ule’s death inside the Bexar County jail on April 18 struck a nerve. Arrested two weeks earlier for criminal trespass, a Class B misdemeanor, Ule...Read More
John Guandolo is on a Crusade to Turn Texas Cops Against Muslims
An ex-FBI agent living in the Dallas area, Guandolo occupies a special niche in a larger network of Islamophobes in the United States.
In late September, about 100 conservatives gathered at the Odessa Country Club to hear from two men: Republican Congressman Mike Conaway, who discussed the 357...Read More
New Contract Could Give Austin One of the Most Transparent Police Departments in the Country
Activists are claiming victory after a drawn-out fight over police accountability, and encouraging other cities to follow suit.
After 18 months of tense negotiations over a police union contract, the Austin City Council and the city’s police union have agreed to reforms that anti-polic...Read More
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