The Texas House County Affairs Committee has reportedly laid the groundwork for a new piece of legislation that would be known as the Sandra Bland Act. The committee’s proposed recommendations for lawmakers aims to improve de-escalation practices amongst law enforcement officials, provide more jail-to-treatment programs, and eradicate consent searches during traffic stops, reports the Texas Tribune.
From the Texas Tribune:
Fourteen recommendations in the Texas House County Affairs Committee’s recent report to lawmakers – including calls for them to increase police officer training for de-escalation and mental health awareness, to back jail-to-treatment diversion programs, and eliminate consent searches during stops – will be the foundation for the Sandra Bland Act.
State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, announced last year that he would file the bill to address race, poverty, mental health and accountability in law enforcement and corrections.
Rep. Coleman says that Sandra Bland’s traffic stop should have never resulted in an arrest. “If you look at Sandra Bland, the incident that led to her death – that’s all you have to look at,” he told the Texas Tribune. “[Encinia] was well within his right to (arrest Bland), and that’s where we’re running into the problem. It’s baked in the cake. Injustice is baked into the cake.”
According to the outlet, the proposed recommendations calls for the DPS to note the race of individuals that are pulled over, require that jails have electronic monitoring systems that would keep track of when the staff checks on inmates, and ensure that upon being released from jail individuals who were apprehended receive the proper healthcare.
Cannon Lambert, who serves as the attorney for Sandra Bland’s family, says the measures “would change the culture of policing,” reports the source.
Bland was apprehended and jailed following a traffic stop for a minor violation on July 10, 2015. Three days after her arrest, her body was discovered hanging in her jail cell in Waller County, Texas. She was 28.
SOURCE: Raw Story, Texas Tribune
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News Developments About Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, & Laquan McDonald
49 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
49 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
1. Jemel Roberson, 26
1 of 492. DeAndre Ballard, 23
2 of 493. Botham Shem Jean, 26
3 of 494. Antwon Rose Jr., 17
4 of 495. Robert Lawrence White, 41
5 of 496. Anthony Lamar Smith, 24
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7. Ramarley Graham, 18
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8. Manuel Loggins Jr., 31
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9. Trayvon Martin, 17
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10. Wendell Allen, 20
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11. Kendrec McDade, 19
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12. Larry Jackson Jr., 32
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13. Jonathan Ferrell, 24
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14. Jordan Baker, 26
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15. Victor White lll, 22
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16. Dontre Hamilton, 31
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17. Eric Garner, 43
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18. John Crawford lll, 22
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19. Michael Brown, 18
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20. Ezell Ford, 25
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21. Dante Parker, 36
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22. Kajieme Powell, 25
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23. Laquan McDonald, 17
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24. Akai Gurley, 28
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25. Tamir Rice, 12
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26. Rumain Brisbon, 34
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27. Jerame Reid, 36
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28. Charly Keunang, 43
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29. Tony Robinson, 19
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30. Walter Scott, 50
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31. Freddie Gray, 25
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32. Brendon Glenn, 29
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33. Samuel DuBose, 43
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34. Christian Taylor, 19
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35. Jamar Clark, 24
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36. Mario Woods, 26
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37. Quintonio LeGrier, 19
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38. Gregory Gunn, 58
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39. Akiel Denkins, 24
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40. Alton Sterling, 37
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41. Philando Castile, 32
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42. Terrence Sterling, 31
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43. Terence Crutcher, 40
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44. Keith Lamont Scott, 43
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45. Alfred Olango, 38
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46. Jordan Edwards, 15
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47. Stephon Clark, 22
47 of 4948. Danny Ray Thomas, 34
48 of 4949. DeJuan Guillory, 27
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Continue reading 49 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
49 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police
The troubling trend of police killing unarmed Black people has shown no signs of letting up, from Tamir Rice to Botham Shem Jean to Jemel Roberson, there appears to be nearly a new shooting every week. See Also: Bill Cosby Sentenced To 3 To 10 Years In Prison For Sexual Assault Conviction Take a look below at the growing gallery of unarmed Black men and boys who have been shot and killed by police.
Texas House Committee Lays Groundwork For Sandra Bland Act was originally published on newsone.com
