Austin police officers charged with excessive use of force during protests

Austin, Texas — When José Garza ran for district attorney in Austin, he promised to hold the police in the capital of Texas. He got off to a fast start and in his first year on the job charged at least seven officers, including one who had been charged with murder twice.

However, the cases against the Police Department have not gone beyond Thursday’s indictments against 19 officers charged with felonies for tactics used during the 2020 protests against racial injustice.

“Nineteen, ugh, I don’t know of anywhere else that’s been done,” he said. Margaret MooreGarza’s predecessor as district attorney in Travis County.

The indictments widened the rift between Garza and police in the affluent city of Austin. Garza, a Democrat whose 2020 campaign was backed by liberal allies, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sandershad announced his commitment to combat misconduct in the police force.

As of Friday night, all of the newly charged officers were placed on administrative leave, said Saul Gray, a department spokesman.

Garza said the accusations were not politically motivated and that “our community is safer when it trusts the police.” Community activists who have long criticized the city’s handling of the protests, including incidents in which officers fired small pellet cartridges into crowds, said the indictments were long overdue and Garza deserved the credit. .

Yet even allies on Friday expressed frustration at the lack of details, which Garza has said he cannot release yet.

Garza announced Thursday at a news conference that indictments by a grand jury were expected, but gave no details. And more than 24 hours later, the names of the officers and the reasons for the accusations against them had not been released publicly.

In Texas, by law, an allegation is kept secret until the officer’s arrest. For their part, criminal justice experts expressed skepticism about the large number of indictments in one case and whether they will result in guilty pleas.

The agent Justin Berry, a Republican candidate for a seat in the state House of Representatives, said in a statement Saturday that he is one of the defendants. He lashed out at Garza for trying to influence voters with what he called a witch hunt.

“This case is beyond absurd,” Berry said. “He demonizes the police, does not value keeping the population safe and harms our communities.”

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