Protesters across Texas have turned out to demonstrate against police brutality after Houston-native George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis police custody. Texas officials have largely condemned the killing of Floyd. The state has its own history of black Texans dying at the hands of police — including Mike Ramos, a 42-year-old black and Hispanic man in Austin who was shot and killed by police in April 2020. Ramos’ name has been invoked alongside Floyd’s during the state’s most recent protests. Read our coverage of the protests and tell us about your experience protesting here.
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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Austin officials slashed their police department's budget this week as other Texas cities are rethinking how general fund dollars are spent — and whether spending so much to combat crime addresses the poverty that can cause it. Full Story
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Some Texas cities are eyeing cuts to police department budgets to fund social services like housing assistance, mental health services and job training. Full Story
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Abbott also has praised Texas’ “legacy of success” on criminal justice reforms. In recent years, many police reform efforts have repeatedly failed at the Texas Capitol. Full Story
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Although Austin was not the only city in Texas to have protests, the death of Michael Ramos there brought out tensions that have long plagued the city, a place that is recognized for its moments of progressivism yet has deep-rooted racial biases. Full Story
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Organizers and protesters say the use of force by police during protests in Texas cities highlights the underlying discord between law enforcement and residents that underpinned the protests in the first place. Full Story
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The chamber approved three police reform measures that are part of a sweeping set of legislation following the in-custody murder of George Floyd last year. Full Story
“If this doesn’t push it, we don’t know what will,” says Debbie Bush. She has been fighting for greater accountability for police violence since her nephew was shot in the back by a San Antonio officer seven years ago. Full Story
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Despite loud opposition from Democrats who said the legislation overstepped local governments, Senate Bill 23 passed with broad bipartisan support. Full Story
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A provision that would remove police officers' legal shield against civil lawsuits has been pegged by multiple lawmakers as a sticking point in the Republican-led Legislature. Full Story
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Almost a year after Michael Ramos, a Black and Hispanic man, was killed in Austin, Christopher Taylor, the officer who shot him, has been charged with murder. Full Story
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Manley worked for the department for 30 years. Last summer, he faced harsh criticism after police killed an unarmed man and then seriously injured nonviolent protesters. Full Story
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Texas organizers said the insurrection at the U.S. capitol demonstrates how differently law enforcement is applied based on protesters' race and politics. Full Story
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We've selected some columns from 2020 on racial justice and police reform. Full Story
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GOP campaign ads paint cities as lawless places and Democrats as enablers of crime. But people pushing for criminal justice reform say those portrayals sidestep the systemic racism that prompted this year’s protests against police brutality. Full Story
With some political campaigns embracing law enforcement in Texas, the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll found two things to be true: Most voters don't want to decrease funding for police, and almost all voters feel safe where they live. Full Story
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The Texas Rangers’ preliminary investigation found that Wolfe City police officer Shaun Lucas’ use of deadly force against Price was not “objectively reasonable.” Full Story
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Last year, Williamson County sheriff's deputies held Ambler down and stunned him four times with a Taser before his body went limp. It was filmed for a police reality TV show. Full Story
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Abbott's campaign event came after a majority of likely Texas voters in a recent poll said that law and order is a bigger issue than the pandemic. Yet they were also more likely to say that racism in the criminal justice system is a larger problem than riots in American cities. Full Story
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Much of the overtime cuts were reallocated for other purposes in the department, including more than $3.8 million to hire nearly 100 civilian workers. Other new spending will go toward addressing root causes of crime and improving street lighting. Full Story
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The Republican governor isn't on the November ballot. But he has come out hard against efforts to shift city money away from policing, echoing a national debate on policing and crime during a tumultuous election season. Full Story
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Abbott has called on all Texas candidates in the November election to sign it to show they are “backing the blue.” Other state leaders will join him Thursday at the Austin Police Association. Full Story
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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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Acevedo also discussed the reverberations of George Floyd's death in the city where Floyd was raised. Full Story
If passed, the legislative proposal could consolidate Austin's police department under the Texas Department of Public Safety. Full Story
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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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