Gov. Greg Abbott calls on all Texas candidates to sign pledge against police budget cuts
The pledge is the governor's latest political move in an election season consumed by debates on policing reforms and funding. Full Story
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Jolie McCullough
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Jolie McCullough was a reporter at The Texas Tribune from 2015 to 2023. She began as a data visualization journalist and then reported on criminal justice policy, ranging from policing and courts to prisons and the death penalty. She joined the Tribune from the Albuquerque Journal, her hometown newspaper. She previously worked at the Arizona Republic and is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Past Contributions
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![State troopers stand near an overpass on Interstate 35 to prevent protesters from blocking traffic during a rally at Austin police headquarters.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott considering legislation to put Austin police under state control after budget cut
If passed, the legislative proposal could consolidate Austin's police department under the Texas Department of Public Safety. Full Story
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![Austin police officers gathered on Interstate 35 to remove protesters from the highway. May 31, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Report: Harris County’s bail reforms let more people out of jail before trial without raising risk of reoffending
Texas' most populous county changed its bail practices for misdemeanor defendants last year after a lengthy lawsuit challenging cash bail. Full Story
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![The Harris County Jail in Houston on Wednesday, April 1, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
As Hurricane Laura heads for Southeast Texas, officials scramble to evacuate and shelter people during a pandemic
The storm is now a Category 4 hurricane whose dangerous winds and storm surge could cause damage along a large swath of the Gulf Coast and Southeast Texas. Full Story
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![A man rides a bike down Broadway Street in Galveston, past a sign that reads "Laura Go Away your' not welcome.” Hurricane Laura is expected to make landfall between Texas and Louisiana.]()
Credit: Courtney Sacco/Caller-Times via USA Today Network -
Texas put hundreds of hours into finding and arresting police brutality protesters. Lawyers call it a “witch hunt."
Two days of unruly protests at the Texas Capitol in May left graffiti on the historic building and cuts and bruises on state police officers. Since then, the Texas Department of Public Safety has spent the summer naming and arresting suspects, the majority of whom are accused of misdemeanors. Full Story
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![A crowd of protestors gather at the south gate of the capitol on May 31, 2020]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott, other Texas leaders want to freeze property tax revenues for cities that cut police budgets
The state's three top elected leaders also fiercely criticized the Austin officials who plan to cut up to one-third of their police department's budget, largely through reorganizing divisions out from under law enforcement. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, hold the first meeting of the Texas Safety Commission at the Texas Capitol August 22, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
The only Texas prison reporting zero coronavirus cases is where inmates make soap. But that’s not what’s credited with protecting it.
Of more than 100 Texas prison units, the Roach Unit's apparent ability to avoid the virus has been attributed to a remote location and a warden who strictly enforces precautionary measures. Full Story
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![Inmates at the Central Unit used to make thousands of pounds of soap at this factory. Amid budget cuts, the unit closed in 2011.]()
Credit: Justin Dehn/The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Army sergeant who shot Austin protester Garrett Foster posted tweets about retaliating against demonstrators
Daniel Perry has come forward as the shooter of Garrett Foster, a 28-year-old armed demonstrator who was killed while protesting police brutality in Austin last Saturday. Full Story
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![A vigil is created for Garrett Foster on July 27, 2020, in Austin.]()
Credit: Marshall Tridick for The Texas Tribune -
The coronavirus is keeping Texas prisoners who've been approved for parole behind bars
Thousands of parole-approved prisoners remain locked up during the public health crisis. The coronavirus has delayed pre-release programs and kept people set to go home inside infected prisons. Full Story
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![Texas Department of Criminal Justice William G. McConnell Unit at Chase Field in Beeville.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribune -
Thousands of Texas prisoners still have the coronavirus. More than 25% of inmates at four units are infected.
At one prison, more than 750 inmates were actively infected with the coronavirus Monday, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Full Story
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![Mark W. Michael men's prison located in unincorporated Anderson County.]()
Credit: Jolie McCullough/The Texas Tribune