Reduce Unjustified Shootings and Restore Police Accountability
- by: Just Liberty
- recipient: Texas House
Videos of alleged police misconduct and improper shootings have sparked protests and an intense national debate over how to hold officers accountable when they violate people's rights.
Protests are fine, but current Texas law authorizes police to use deadly force in many situations where the suspect does not pose an imminent threat. That must change.
When misconduct is not addressed immediately, the public can lose faith in those who protect and serve them. This makes us all less safe. When people don't trust the police, they may not call the police or volunteer information about crime in their neighborhoods.
Rep. Senfronia Thompson has filed HB 2044 to require that a suspect poses an imminent threat to the officer or others before police are justified in shooting them. It also closes loopholes in the disciplinary process which let bad cops go unpunished and keep records of misconduct secret.
It is time to reinforce the rule of law and ensure that police are accountable to it and the public they serve. Limiting deadly force by police to situations involving a threat will protect the public from unjustified shootings and police officers from public backlash.
Will you take action to reduce unjustified shootings and restore accountability to police disciplinary processes? Tell your Texas House member to support HB 2044 and sign on as a coauthor.
Protests are fine, but current Texas law authorizes police to use deadly force in many situations where the suspect does not pose an imminent threat. That must change.
When misconduct is not addressed immediately, the public can lose faith in those who protect and serve them. This makes us all less safe. When people don't trust the police, they may not call the police or volunteer information about crime in their neighborhoods.
Rep. Senfronia Thompson has filed HB 2044 to require that a suspect poses an imminent threat to the officer or others before police are justified in shooting them. It also closes loopholes in the disciplinary process which let bad cops go unpunished and keep records of misconduct secret.
It is time to reinforce the rule of law and ensure that police are accountable to it and the public they serve. Limiting deadly force by police to situations involving a threat will protect the public from unjustified shootings and police officers from public backlash.
Will you take action to reduce unjustified shootings and restore accountability to police disciplinary processes? Tell your Texas House member to support HB 2044 and sign on as a coauthor.
Subject: Coauthor to HB 2044
Dear Representatives,
Like all Texans, I support our police officers. But too often, a few bad apples among them discredit their colleagues and the profession. And Texas laws do too little to prevent misconduct or hold them accountable when they stray outside the lines.
That's why I'm urging you to sign on as a coauthor to HB 2044 by Rep. Senfronia Thompson, which would only allow Texas police officers to shoot people when they pose an "imminent threat." It would also close loopholes in the police civil service code to let departments hold officers accountable and eliminate secrecy provisions about officer misconduct. We need this bill now!
Texas law grants police officers tremendous power, and with great power comes great responsibility. The public needs to trust that agents of the state who hold the power of life or death over them at a traffic stop will be held accountable if they misuse their authority. HB 2044 is an important step toward rebuilding that trust.
The open records aspect of this bill is particularly important. Right now, even prosecutors can't see officers' secret personnel files in civil service cities. And courts have held prosecutors accountable for failing to disclose evidence in those files, even though police never disclosed them. Hundreds of non-civil service law enforcement agencies operate with the Public Information Act applying to their personnel files. There's no evidence that making that information public will become a problem, and many reasons why the public needs to see it.
Please sign on as a coauthor to HB 2044 by Thompson. It's important to me that these problems gets fixed.
[Your Comment]
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Sign PetitionSign PetitionDear Representatives,
Like all Texans, I support our police officers. But too often, a few bad apples among them discredit their colleagues and the profession. And Texas laws do too little to prevent misconduct or hold them accountable when they stray outside the lines.
That's why I'm urging you to sign on as a coauthor to HB 2044 by Rep. Senfronia Thompson, which would only allow Texas police officers to shoot people when they pose an "imminent threat." It would also close loopholes in the police civil service code to let departments hold officers accountable and eliminate secrecy provisions about officer misconduct. We need this bill now!
Texas law grants police officers tremendous power, and with great power comes great responsibility. The public needs to trust that agents of the state who hold the power of life or death over them at a traffic stop will be held accountable if they misuse their authority. HB 2044 is an important step toward rebuilding that trust.
The open records aspect of this bill is particularly important. Right now, even prosecutors can't see officers' secret personnel files in civil service cities. And courts have held prosecutors accountable for failing to disclose evidence in those files, even though police never disclosed them. Hundreds of non-civil service law enforcement agencies operate with the Public Information Act applying to their personnel files. There's no evidence that making that information public will become a problem, and many reasons why the public needs to see it.
Please sign on as a coauthor to HB 2044 by Thompson. It's important to me that these problems gets fixed.
[Your Comment]
Thank you,
[Your Name]
See more petitions:
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.
By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.
Having problems signing this? Let us know.