Austin News

In the wake of last year's nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police officers, advocacy groups and concerned citizens across the nation have called for criminal justice reforms.

Texas advocacy groups such as Just Liberty, an Austin-based organization committed to criminal justice reform, have thrown their support behind bills HB 88, filed by Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston), and SB 161, filed by Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas), known as the Texas George Floyd Act.

"Use-of-force standards can be narrowed so officers only use force when suspects pose an immediate threat," Just Liberty Executive Director Scott Henson said. "We can ban tactics like chokeholds or shooting at moving vehicles; we can gather data about the use of force so we'll understand better in the future how to intervene."

Just Liberty Executive Director Scott Henson | justliberty.org

Currently, Texas' lethal force statute allows lethal force against anyone who is suspected of a violent felony, regardless of whether the individual poses an immediate threat. Texas law also makes it a duty of police officers to arrest on all charges, regardless of severity, but does not consider it a duty to save a life or intervene when another officer is doing harm.

Driving factors that facilitate the excessive use of police force include an outdated use of force standards along with a lack of officer discipline, according to Henson.

"The problem is there will always be outliers in a system with 80,000 officers licensed in Texas alone, and our systems aren't designed to manage them," Henson said. "Fired officers get on at other departments or arbitrators put them back on the force. The Sunset Commission found Texas' systems of police oversight were toothless and ineffective and I agree with them."

If passed, the Texas George Floyd Act would require police officers to intervene if another officer is using excessive force. It would also order officers to not use lethal force when lesser forms would suffice, along with a ban of the use of chokeholds and limiting the immunity of police officers from civil lawsuits; according to a study from the University of Houston, the bill is backed by 72% of all Texans.

"It creates incentives for departments and officers to limit truly egregious behavior and gives victims of police misconduct an outlet through which to seek justice in a court of law." Henson said.