The bill’s proposals include limiting police searches during stops, adding reporting requirements for racial profiling and creating an independent ombudsman to monitor inmates’ rights and services.
Sandra Bland
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Criminal Justice
Planned Texas jail reforms draw fears of unfunded mandates (video)
A year and a half after Sandra Bland was found dead in the Waller County Jail, Texas lawmakers are expected to consider new jail reforms. But rural sheriffs worry the state’s tight budget situation could result in unfunded mandates.
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Criminal Justice
In county where Sandra Bland died, sheriff is re-elected
Democrat Cedric Watson had hoped to become Waller County’s first black sheriff, but he lost by a wide margin to incumbent Glenn Smith, a Republican.
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Criminal Justice
Trooper’s attorneys might ask judge to toss indictment in Bland case
Attorneys for the state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland are considering asking a judge to throw out his indictment for perjury.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Senator: Schools Should Teach Teens How to Handle Police Stops
Could the police-civilian divide be healed with new civics lessons and traffic stop guidelines from the state?
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Criminal Justice
DPS Changes in Wake of Sandra Bland Death in Dispute
It is unclear whether the Texas Department of Public Safety will make any changes to its training policies following the announced settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Sandra Bland.
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Criminal Justice
Hearings Will Address Criminal Justice Reforms in Sandra Bland’s Name
Texas lawmakers will meet Tuesday to discuss the push for reforms in Texas jail standards, police training and care for mentally ill inmates in the wake of Sandra Bland’s death in the Waller County Jail.
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Criminal Justice
Sandra Bland’s Family Looks Forward from Lawsuit Settlement
With one major legal battle seemingly behind them, Sandra Bland’s survivors and advocates are gearing up for the next phase of their quest to wrest change from the 28-year-old black woman’s death.
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Criminal Justice
Sandra Bland’s Family Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit, Lawyer Says
The family of Sandra Bland — the woman who died last year in a Waller County Jail cell — has reached a settlement with Texas officials in a wrongful death lawsuit, a lawyer for the family said Thursday.
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Criminal Justice
Report Finds Almost 7,000 In-Custody Deaths in Texas
Almost 7,000 individuals in Texas have died in police custody or behind bars over the past 10 years, according to an online report released Wednesday by a University of Texas at Austin research institute. Nearly 2,000 of them had not been convicted of a crime.