Bodycam video shows confrontation between U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson and law enforcement
The footage shows Jackson being tackled to the ground and placed in handcuffs, with the Amarillo Republican directing a profanity-laced tirade toward a trooper. His office has said Jackson, a physician, was trying to help with a medical emergency.
Once again, tension builds after state police are deployed to a major Texas city
A month after the Texas Department of Public Safety began patrolling Austin streets, city officials have both praised a drop in violent crime and condemned the operationโs disparate impact on Latino and Black residents. In 2019, Dallas faced the same challenges.
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelanโs new priority bills focus on school safety, requiring districts to adopt active-shooter plans
More than nine months after the Uvalde school shooting, top GOP lawmakers maintain focus on school safety reforms and investments in mental health resources in hopes it will prevent future tragedies.
Gov. Greg Abbott starts state task force on street takeovers
During a recent street racing incident, Austin residents faced long 911 wait times. City officials say they need to increase staffing for 911 call takers, but state license and background check requirements make it difficult to fill positions.
University of Houston asked students to wear neon vests after police drew weapon on a Black student
The university distributed vests to theater students after an officer drew a gun on a Black student rehearsing a violent scene last year. Officials walked back the requirement amid recent student criticism.
The fringe ideology of โconstitutional sheriffsโ is attracting believers within Texas law enforcement
Some 50 Texas sheriffs and numerous elected officials have attended trainings on the unsupported notion that sheriffs can single-handedly overrule state and federal law. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, which offered state peace officers credit for the seminars, is now investigating.
Texas DPS chief Steve McCraw says his agency โdid not failโ at Uvalde school shooting
At a public meeting where families that lost children in the school shooting said he should resign, McCraw said members of the Department of Public Safety made mistakes. But he said heโll step down only โif DPS as an institution failed the families.โ
โDead suspectโ loophole in state law could prevent release of information in Uvalde school shooting
Three weeks have passed since the school shooting in Uvalde, and there are concerns that a loophole in Texas law that could prevent information from being released as questions about what happened inside Robb Elementary remain.
Police chief who led the response to the school shooting in Uvalde had no radio at the scene, reports say
The revelation is the latest to point to deficiencies and missteps in authoritiesโ response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School. Police opted to wait for reinforcements and tactical gear, taking more than an hour to confront and take down the shooter.
In battered Uvalde, where a police chief is in hiding, grief gives way to calls for accountability
As chief of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Department, it was Arredondoโs call to wait more than an hour for backup instead of ordering officers on scene to immediately charge the shooter.
Uvalde school districtโs police chief didnโt know about 911 calls coming from inside the school, lawmaker says
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, said the commanding officer at the scene of the shooting was not informed about the calls that Uvalde police were receiving, calling the lack of coordination a โsystem failure.โ
Austin police officers who were indicted over actions during George Floyd protests sue the city
Several demonstrators who participated in the protests in response to George Floydโs murder were seriously injured when they were struck by police with โless than lethalโ beanbag rounds. The officersโ suit says they did not receive training on how to use this type of ammunition.
Peer-to-peer support group helps local first responders cope with PTSD
First responders are called to emergencies, rescue people and show up to work day after day to do it all over again, which can sometimes lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. A former police officer in Selma is helping others learn how to manage their trauma.
Webb County, a Democratic stronghold, is set to welcome Texas Gov. Greg Abbottโs controversial migrant arrests
The county is the most populous to embrace the Republican governorโs โcatch-and-jailโ policy to arrest people accused of crossing the border illegally for state crimes, including trespassing.
Gov. Greg Abbott floats pardons for Austin police officers charged with excessive force in 2020 protests
Abbottโs move is the latest in a long clash between Texas Republicans and Austin-area officials over policing โ and comes as the push for reform in the Texas capital enters a more complex and uncertain chapter.
Analysis: A swelling Texas treasury gives 2022 hopefuls room for big ideas
As the political season starts, the contestants got an unexpected bit of good news: The state comptroller says the next Legislature will start with almost $25 billion in the state treasury. Expensive campaign promises just got a lot easier to make.
In latest blunder, charges dropped against migrants arrested in Texas governorโs border crackdown because of faulty paperwork
The migrants were arrested for trespassing, but court documents failed to specify what property they allegedly trespassed upon. Itโs the latest misstep in implementation of Greg Abbottโs border initiative, which has seen frequent violations of state law and disregard for due process rights.
Congressional Democrats ask feds to investigate whether Texas migrant arrests violate constitutional rights
Under a Gov. Greg Abbott initiative, more than 1,600 migrants have been arrested for allegedly trespassing on private property after crossing the Texas-Mexico border. The arrests and subsequent imprisonment of the migrants have led to state law violations and constitutional concerns.
Migrants arrested by Texas in border crackdown are being imprisoned for weeks without legal help or formal charges
Defense attorneys have started asking courts to set migrants free because local justice systems, overwhelmed by arrests under Gov. Greg Abbott's border security push, are routinely violating state law and constitutional due process rights.
After a Texas prosecutor dismissed dozens of migrant trespassing cases, some men were dropped at a border bus station
Officials said immigration authorities werenโt interested in taking migrants who had no criminal conviction into federal custody. But without documentation, at least one newly released migrant soon found himself back in detention.
Thanks to local politics and a railroad, rural Kinney County accounts for most of Texasโ migrant arrests
Under Gov. Greg Abbottโs border security push, Texas state police have arrested hundreds of migrants in the conservative county, usually after spotting them on cargo trains or walking remote ranch lands. Sent to a state prison retooled as an immigration jail, many men were left without lawyers for weeks.
An 18-year-old Venezuelan was among the first set free from Texasโ new jail for migrants. No one knew what to do with him.
After more than three weeks in jail, a trespassing charge against the man was dropped because state troopers shouldnโt have arrested him under Gov. Greg Abbottโs border security push. He wound up in bureaucratic limbo for days as federal agencies passed the responsibility for resolving his immigration status.
The first migrants arrested in Gov. Greg Abbott's border crackdown have served their time. Federal officials will decide what happens next.
The Texas governor has derided federal immigration policy as "catch and release." But unless federal authorities now take them into custody, the migrants Abbott ordered state troopers to arrest could soon be freed.
Army sergeant indicted on murder and aggravated assault charges after fatally shooting Austin protester Garrett Foster in 2020
Army Sgt. Daniel Perry shot and killed Foster, who was legally armed, after an altercation during a protest against police brutality last summer, police said. Perry argues it was in self defense.
Legislators running out of time to pass bills curbing law enforcement agencies from hiring bad cops
Texas law enforcement agencies have long dealt with troublesome cops who move from one department to another. Transparency bills aim to make their disciplinary records more easily accessible to law enforcement agencies.
Law enforcement across Guadalupe County to carry support bags for children at crime scenes
GUADALUPE COUNTY, Texas โ It was a small program thatโs now gained a lot of traction. Anderson-Glover immediately called at least 10 agencies within Guadalupe County, asking if theyโd carry the bags in their patrol units. โIโve contacted Guadalupe County Sheriffโs Office and spoke with the sheriff himself. Iโve contacted Seguin Police Department, Selma Police Department, Cibolo, Marion, Santa Clara City Marshalls office, the Guadalupe County Emergency Management, the four constables of Guadalupe County, the state troopers, and the Texas Game Warden,โ she listed. โWhich gives us approximately 300 patrol vehicles in Guadalupe County that will be equipped with these ASAP bags,โ she said.
52% of law enforcement officers dislike current state-mandated diversity training, study finds
Speedlin Gonzalez and a team of five graduate students began a study that would ask law enforcement officers across the state what they would like to see when it comes to diversity training. Three hundred twenty-four current law enforcement officers across the state were asked about this training, and the results were surprising. They found it highly unsatisfactory, and that doesnโt even include those who found it slightly unsatisfactory,โ Speedlin Gonzalez said. While the goal of police reform is well-intended, the study, which is one of a kind because it asks law enforcement about their experience, offers a different perspective. The program should be fluid and adaptable to fit into the communities where officers work.
Cibolo police sergeant loses everything in house fire, encourages others to value family
SAN ANTONIO โ A Cibolo police sergeant who lost everything to a house fire Sunday is hoping his story encourages others to appreciate how valuable their family is. We have an outpouring from loved ones, family, extended family, my blue line family. โYou go through life and you just donโt know,โ Soto said. โAsk yourself, what your priorities are in life,โ Soto said. I value these boys and they value me.
"Law enforcement isn't a political position, this is about competency," candidate for Bexar County Sheriff says
"Law enforcement isn't a political position, this is about competency," candidate for Bexar County Sheriff saysPublished: October 6, 2020, 6:16 pmGerry Rickhoff says he plans to use his experience in county government to bring about changes
Approval of local law enforcement leadership dips slightly in latest poll, remains high
SAN ANTONIO โ Editorโs note: This story is part of a series reporting on the latest Bexar Facts poll. Leadership from local law enforcement agencies saw a slight dip in their approval ratings but remained largely popular, according to the latest Bexar Facts-KSAT-San Antonio Report. Voters generally approve of San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, and the San Antonio Police Officers Association. The Bexar Facts-KSAT-San Antonio report poll found that of those people surveyed in September, 61% believe local police are fair and impartial when enforcing the law. (KSAT)Of the people surveyed in September, 56% said local police officers have good relationships with communities of color in San Antonio.
Kendall County Sheriffs Office to conduct joint training exercise with other area agencies Wednesday
Kendall County, Texas The Kendall County Sheriffs Office announced it will be conducting a large joint training exercise on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The training exercise will begin at 8:00 a.m. in the 1000 block of East Blanco Road. According to an announcement by the Sheriffs Office, residents, patrons and motorists will see an increase in law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services in the area during the training exercise. The Sheriffs Office said it will be partnering with neighboring agencies to conduct the training, so residents will see patrol vehicles from neighboring jurisdictions in the area as well. The Sheriffs Office said the training will end by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday.