The Texas Rangers’ preliminary investigation found that Wolfe City police officer Shaun Lucas’ use of deadly force against Price was not “objectively reasonable.”
Police brutality in Texas
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.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
Williamson County sheriff charged with felony evidence tampering in Javier Ambler case
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.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott wants to raise the stakes for protesters during a divisive Texas election
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.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
Dallas City Council increases police budget overall, but reallocates $7 million from overtime budget
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.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
How Gov. Greg Abbott made Austin’s police budget cuts a top campaign issue for candidates running in November
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.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
Watch live: Gov. Greg Abbott signs pledge against cutting police budgets in Texas at 2 p.m.
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.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
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.
Posted in
The 2020 Texas Tribune Festival
Watch Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo talk about race, police reform at The Texas Tribune Festival
Acevedo also discussed the reverberations of George Floyd’s death in the city where Floyd was raised.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
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.
Posted in
Police brutality in Texas
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.