A new series of proposals from a state-wide public policy watchdog aims to clear up what appears to be ongoing confusion over when the public will be able to access Austin police body worn camera (BWC) videos and when people’s privacy will be protected.
As the Austin City Council gears up to decide Thursday whether to approve a contract that would equip the vast majority of police patrol officers with body cameras, several local organizations are calling on the Austin Police Department to clarify its policy regarding public access to the recordings.
The winner of this fall's sheriff's race will inherit a post under siege, scrutinized by criminal justice watchdogs and as the department attempts to recover from the murder of a deputy that exposed a sordid sex scandal.
Vigilant Solutions, one of the country’s largest brokers of vehicle surveillance technology, is offering a hell of a deal to law enforcement agencies in Texas: a whole suite of automated license plate reader (ALPR) equipment and access to the company’s massive databases and analytical tools—and it won’t cost the agency a dime.
In 2015, the Texas Legislature passed SB 158, which establishes a statewide grant program through which Texas law enforcement agencies may apply for funding to equip their frontline officers with body worn cameras.
In 2001, the Texas Legislature passed SB 1074, requiring law enforcement agencies to annually report on the race of people who are stopped and searched in their jurisdictions.
While many Harris County residents are in mourning for the nation as a whole, some criminal justice experts say there's reason to be optimistic about a political office closer to home — specifically, Sheriff-Elect Ed Gonzalez.
Every Texas jurisdiction has its own process for driver complaints after perceived roadside mistreatment. As such, it is impossible to produce a statewide curriculum for young drivers that outlines their right to complain about mistreatment.
During a traffic stop, law enforcement may seize a person’s money, vehicle, or other possessions if they feel those items have either been used in a crime, are intended to be used in a crime, or were the proceeds of a crime. The State then files a civil forfeiture action against those items and must only prove by a “preponderance of the evidence” that the possessions were contraband.
Our Constitution Matters, and Not Just on the 4th of July
BY KATHY MITCHELL AND KELLI KLEIN--It might come as a surprise, but our nation’s birth came about in part because we resisted asset forfeiture. British troops intent on punishing smugglers or tax evaders would take assets from the early colonists without the kind of protections granted by our Bill of Rights.
