The FBI released its 2016 Crime in the United States report today and, although there are pockets of increased crime, the data indicates that Texas crime rates have dropped statewide.
Sandra Bland wasn't mentioned by name. But it was clear that her highly publicized death, which helped galvanize the Black Lives Matter movement, was a key part of a hearing Thursday aimed at stopping police from locking up Texans over minor traffic offenses.
City Council is holding budget hearings later this afternoon, with testimony expected on the proposed property tax rate, any fee changes, etc. Criminal justice advocates say they will be there to oppose the current Austin Police Association contract, and demand greater accountability over officer misconduct.
A group of Austin community advocacy organizations came together Tuesday to call on city leaders to end meet-and-confer negotiations with the Austin police officers’ union.
Read the rest of this article at the Austin American-Statesman.
Texas police officers and other first responders who have job-related mental health issues can soon be diverted into pretrial treatment programs if they commit a crime, but many large counties don't appear interested in creating the new specialty courts.
As City Council meetings go, the one held Thursday, April 20, was a rarity: a meeting with invited public testimony for a staff briefing on labor negotiations for the city's three public safety unions. That kind of Item doesn't tend to ever get scheduled.
Austin Police are getting ready to use body cameras, but some say they could be giving away public property to a private company. The city's buying cameras from Axon, which used to be known as Taser International.
Texas’ top criminal justice lawmakers are considering sending community leaders into public schools to teach ninth-graders how to interact with police. They tout the proposal as a way to increase public safety, but critics question whether such instruction would be effective.
Read the rest of this article at the San Antonio Express-News.
The comment was startling, even for President Donald Trump. In a meeting with county sheriffs this week, the president suggested he would “destroy” the career of a Texas state senator who wants to curtail the ability of law enforcement to seize money, vehicles, and property suspected of being used in crime.
If you're caught speeding, chances are you're issued a ticket and from there you're free to go. But in Texas, an officer can arrest you. That's on a case-by-case basis -- and in Houston -- the Houston Police Department requires an officer to get approval from a supervisor first. That could change under two bills working through the state Capitol in Austin.
