The latest Sandra Bland news from The Texas Tribune.
John Devine, Jane Bland and Jimmy Blacklock won their reelection bids over Democrat challengers backed by groups that support expanding abortion access. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/870a3610e491e82a6fa55637e920b8d2/SCOTX%20REUTERS%202024%20TT.jpg)
The lawmakers said they are acting in response to the death of former Houston resident George Floyd. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/280f97b62aa4690b7a39a758c0ef67ac/ATX%20George%20Floyd%20Protest%20June%2006%20MG%20TT%2005.jpg)
Behind closed doors, a joint Senate and House committee killed a measure that would require police officers to explain why they arrest someone for fine-only offenses, otherwise the case would be dismissed. Criminal justice reform advocates considered the issue a priority following the arrest of Sandra Bland. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/2f717e4d0c0338064a3736352664e63f/Police%20Officer%20State%20Trooper%20SK%20TT.jpg)
State Rep. Garnet Coleman suggested that the newly released video showing some of Bland's confrontation with a state trooper before her death may have been buried in a “data dump” of information given to lawyers and lawmakers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9604fa3fa862d7349921980849f7f355/01_Sandra_Bland_Memorial_MKC_TT.jpg)
A measure to limit arrests for misdemeanors that only result in fines initially got House approval. Then it failed on a subsequent vote amid what some say was confusion over what the bill would do. Lawmakers tried to revive it Friday evening — after several lawmakers had left the chamber — but that attempt also failed. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/94ea15bd751bd685f2d2a6cd0fc42e51/Sandra%20Bland%20MG%20TT.jpg)
The family of Sandra Bland — who died in a Waller County jail cell — is calling for a reopening of the criminal investigation into Bland's arrest and death after seeing footage for the first time. Full Story
Former Texas Department of Safety Trooper Brian Encinia says he feared for his personal safety after pulling over Sandra Bland in Waller County on July 21, 2015. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/03/16/Encinia-Bland.jpg)
All four U.S. attorney seats, 11 district judgeships and two slots on the historically conservative U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals sit open. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/063017_Roundup_Still.jpg)
Brian Encinia, the ex-trooper who arrested Sandra Bland in 2015, has had his perjury charge dropped. The prosecution moved to dismiss the charge after Encinia agreed to give up his police license. Full Story
Ruth Simmons, the longtime president of Brown University, has been named interim president of Prairie View A&M University. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/06/15/Ruth_Simmons_TT.jpg)
The measure mandates county jails divert people with mental health and substance abuse issues toward treatment and requires that independent law enforcement agencies investigate jail deaths. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/34f408ba4c00dec7d7da2a90549e33df/DONT%20USE%20Sandra%20Bland)
The bill would mandate that county jails divert people with mental health and substance abuse issues toward treatment, make it easier for defendants with a mental illness or intellectual disability to receive a personal bond and require that independent law enforcement agencies investigate jail deaths. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/07/16/CKCoKC5WEAATZ1S.jpg_large.jpg)
The House sponsor of the Senate's Sandra Bland Act won't try to change the bill's language, after key provisions were taken out in the upper chamber. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/03/02/Coleman_Sandra_Bland_Act1_TT.jpg)
The legislation now mostly focuses on mental health issues and county jail operations. Full Story
The bill would mandate that county jails divert people with mental health and substance abuse issues toward treatment, make it easier for defendants with a mental illness or intellectual disability to receive a personal bond and require that independent law enforcement agencies investigate jail deaths. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/05/11/__BDD7423_WhitmireCMS.JPG)
In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of an unarmed 15-year-old by police on Saturday night, Democrats in the state Capitol have pointed to relevant bills they say could prevent similar deaths. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/05/03/Jordan_Edwards_and_Roy_Oliver_TT.jpg)
The legislation would mandate that county jails route people with mental health crises and substance abuse issues to treatment and install electronic sensors or cameras to better monitor inmates. Full Story
The Sandra Bland Act would require law enforcement agencies to document the race and ethnicity of drivers they stop, divert some people to treatment instead of jail and require more training and reporting for county jails and law enforcement officials. Full Story
The proposal – which would affect high school students, new drivers and police officers – passed the chamber unanimously and now heads to the House. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-SchoolSecurity003.JPG)
The proposal, Senate Bill 30, is a bipartisan response to deadly encounters between law enforcement and civilians seen in recent years throughout the country. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/02/09/PoliceStop.jpg)