Texas Police Accountability

08/31/2026

If You're Going To Do Something, Do It Right

08/30/2026

08/30/2026

Calling the police for help during a mental health crisis could cost you your life. His family says that call ended in tragedy after Texas officers allegedly beat and repeatedly shocked the Black Army veteran before he died in the back of a patrol car.

Texas - Michael Thompson had broken no law when he entered a 7-Eleven convenience store and asked the clerk to call 911 on his behalf because he was suffering a mental episode.

But El Paso police arrived and killed the 36-year-old Black father of two children and U.S. Army veteran.

Now Thompson’s mother, Barbara Thompson, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against El Paso police and several other defendants, including Axon Enterprise, the company that sells Tasers to law enforcement agencies, marketing it as a “less than lethal” device.

The incident took place on June 27, 2022, as Thompson was walking down a public street after midnight in the direction of the 7-Eleven, walking past a 24-hour Walmart where an off-duty police officer from Texas Tech University was working security.

https://atlantablackstar.com/2024/07/24/texas-army-veteran-killed-by-police/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUBdvtwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMWVMTlN5dVJXU1c3ekFkbTFzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeoxVS7AiyOwPiZc023i8TEkIykA98L0vjdLopV99aMd9Kg97sZYQ7RLBqL74_aem_nB-IgV9sevHhdt4qKNvTQw

Michael Thompson had broken no law when he entered a 7-Eleven convenience store and asked the clerk to call 911 on his behalf because he was suffering a

08/29/2026

First Amendment Rules! The Government cannot deport students for criticizing Israel, federal judge rules

Citing the importance of the First Amendment, a federal judge in California says the U.S. government is unconstitutionally silencing critics of Israel's war in Gaza and others as part of the Trump administration's quest to deport noncitizens whom it says disrupted college campuses while expressing their views.

Judge Noël Wise, in a ruling Friday, delivered a victory for The Stanford Daily, the student newspaper at Stanford University, which has said some international students were afraid to speak out because of the deportation threat.

"Freedom of speech is illusory if we are only 'free' to express complementary views about the government and its leaders," the judge wrote.

The decision largely piggybacks on findings from nearly a year ago by a U.S. district judge in Boston, who ruled that the Trump administration violated the Constitution when it targeted people who are not citizens for deportation solely for supporting Palestinians and criticizing Israel.

Wise wrote that the freedoms of speech and the press are "foundational to America's enduring democracy." The judge cited free-speech and vagueness flaws that violate the First and Fifth Amendments as she struck down portions of the provisions the federal government follows regarding deportations.

Wise cited retaliation in March 2025 by U.S. immigration authorities against people who engaged in speech supporting the Palestinians and against Israel's actions — which a growing number of experts, including those commissioned by a U.N. body — have said amount to genocide. The judge also cited retaliation against people who were critical of Charlie Kirk after the Turning Point USA co-founder was assassinated last September.

"Tomorrow, or perhaps even today, targets may include anyone in the United States who exercises their freedom of speech to simply express opinions the government does not like," the judge in San Jose said.

"This downward spiral is antithetical to our Constitution that recognizes our right to speak freely," she added. "Here you can simultaneously hate the content of a person's speech and love the country that cherishes the freedom to allow it. Zealous protection of our Constitutional right to free speech is a provocative demonstration of our country's powerful lack of fear."

The Justice Department did not respond Saturday to a message seeking comment on the decision.

George Porteous, the editor-in-chief of The Stanford Daily, responded to the ruling by saying on X: "The reporters in our newsroom shouldn't have to fear that writing a story will result in their deportation. Today's victory means they won't have to."

Conor Fitzpatrick, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which brought the lawsuit, praised the ruling.

The judge delivered a victory for Stanford University's student newspaper, which said some international students were afraid to speak out because of the deportation threat.

08/29/2026

Go to Your Local Home Depot and Lowes and Protest Flock Cameras

Lowe’s is one of Flock Safety’s biggest commercial customers that also voluntarily shares its footage with law enforcement.1 2 This means that Flock license plate readers are scanning customers’ cars as they come and go in and out of stores, including immigrants. BUT anyone passing through a Lowe’s parking lot is vulnerable to targeting by ICE. There’s an action happening near you protesting this evil collaboration. Join the NoALPRs action at your local Lowe's to demand they cancel their Flock contract.

Lowe’s is already worried about how this partnership is making the company look bad – so with enough pressure we can get Lowe’s to drop Flock!

See all the links in the comments.

WHEN: August 30, 2026 at 11am

WHERE: LOWE'S at 8000 Shoal Creek Boulevard Austin, TX

We hope you’ll join: there will be posters, flyers, and other activists. If you’d like to bring your own, click here to download and print the materials at home.

Hope to see you there.

08/29/2026

Staples Texas Police Department shut down.

One email brought years of work to build a police department in one of Guadalupe County's smallest cities to an abrupt end.

Staples, located about 9 miles northeast of San Marcos, is home to roughly 270 people. The city has no stoplight, one barbershop and two churches. Its mayor and City Council members serve without pay.

"A very small town, and we like it that way," City Council member Miles Muller said. "We're family."

The city had spent several years building a local police presence to supplement the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Muller said the Staples Police Department had seven officers, including its police chief, when it was deactivated. Most were retired officers.

Staples did not pay the officers wages, but they agreed to provide officers' commissions in exchange for at least 16 hours of service each month. That time included patrols, training, administrative work and community events.

"We didn't pay them directly, but we paid for their training, which I have records of," Muller said. "We paid for their ammunition, supplies, fuel for their cars."

The city was also seeking grants for body cameras. Muller said the officers supplied their own bullet-resistant vests.

State cites minimum standards
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, known as TCOLE, deactivated the Staples Police Department on July 21 after determining that it did not meet state minimum standards under Rule 211.16.

TCOLE is the state agency that licenses law enforcement officers and establishes standards for the agencies that appoint them.

TCOLE's letter cited three central issues: The department failed to demonstrate a public benefit, show sustainable funding and provide required policies and training. The state also raised questions about the department's documented law enforcement activity.

"It says upon receipt of this email, you no longer have a valid police department," Muller said.

One email brought years of work to build a police department in one of Guadalupe County’s smallest cities to an abrupt end. Staples, located about 9 miles northeast of San Marcos, is home to roughly ...

08/29/2026

Texas Governor Abbott blocks state agencies from spending money on Flock cameras

AUSTIN - Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered all state agencies to pause funding for Flock cameras as scrutiny over the AI-powered surveillance devices has mounted.

The order came as The Texas Tribune was preparing to publish an investigation detailing how a state agency has devoted at least $30 million to building up the state’s Flock surveillance network by providing grants to local police departments.

Abbott gave the order Thursday night to halt state funding for Flock cameras, his spokesman confirmed Friday.

“To the extent that cities get any funding for those cameras, most of it comes from the federal government. To the extent any funding comes from Texas agencies, those agencies are clarifying that those funds cannot be used for Flock cameras,” Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris said in a statement shared first with the Tribune.

The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, led by a board mostly appointed by Abbott, has helped state and local agencies install at least 3,200 Flock cameras since 2023.

The authority’s grants came from a 2023 law that added $1 to Texas auto insurance policies to combat rampant catalytic converter theft. Before the law passed unanimously in the House and Senate, there had been no discussion of using the money for Flock cameras and similar devices, lawmakers told the Tribune.

Flock cameras are a unique type of license plate reader that utilize artificial intelligence to track and store data on vehicle characteristics including the make, model and color as well as details like bumper stickers and dents. Departments that use Flock cameras can allow other agencies to access their devices, creating a massive nationwide network.

In a radio interview Friday morning, Abbott described a “crackdown” happening across Texas as cities and counties have begun canceling contracts with the Flock Safety surveillance company as residents have raised privacy concerns and as reports of misuse have exploded.

Liberty Hill leaders question Flock cameras amid Central Texas pushback.

Abbott pointed to a Lufkin police officer who is facing 100 counts of misusing public information for allegedly using the area’s Flock cameras to surveil 11 people for more than a year. At least six police departments and sheriff’s offices across Texas in the past month have announced that officers were being placed on leave, investigated or criminally charged.

“This is something that is easily containable, easily controllable, and we’re ensuring that whether it be through criminal crackdowns, whether it be through cancellation of contracts, whatever the case may be, Flock cameras are being reduced dramatically,” Abbott said in the interview with Glenn Beck. “They’re going to be required to be used responsibly if they’re used at all.”

Earlier this week, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Gina Hinojosa released an ad blaming Abbott for the spread of Flock cameras across the state, calling the devices a method of “warrantless surveillance.” A social media post from Hinojosa asked Abbott to “stop turning Texas into a surveillance state.”

Democratic and Republican lawmakers have begun raising concerns about the broad scale of Flock’s network and the amount of data each camera captures. Law enforcement agencies that opt into Flock’s national lookup program can search each other’s data from anywhere in the country.

In July, Republican U.S. Rep. Keith Self proposed legislation to require federal agencies to obtain warrants before accessing Flock camera data.

The order came as The Texas Tribune was preparing to publish an investigation detailing how a state agency has devoted at least $30 million to building the state’s Flock surveillance network.

08/28/2026

Records allege DPS tipped ICE before deadly shooting; DPS says document is 'incorrect'

HOUSTON, Texas - New publicly available documents reveal what federal ICE agents said happened the morning of July's fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.

On July 7, a federal agent opened fire on the white van that Salgado Araujo was driving, killing him. Three other people in the white van were detained. After the shooting, ICE reported that Salgado Araujo was not the target of the enforcement operation that was being carried out.

ABC13's Daniela Hurtado went to the federal courthouse Friday afternoon and obtained physical copies of the documents from the clerk's public document portal.

The documents are accounts by ICE agents of what happened on the morning of July 7 and were filed on Aug. 11. Portions of the documents were redacted.

Most of the documents retell what has been previously reported, including that ICE claimed that Salgado Araujo tried to run over agents before he was shot and killed. Witnesses have said that Salgado Araujo and the other occupants of the van did not try to run anyone over.

ICE also previously reported that a law enforcement agency tipped them off about a white van, but did not reveal which agency it was. The documents allege that the team behind the immigration enforcement operation had "previously received intel from DPS Troopers" about two subjects in a white van.

The documents have sparked contradictory statements from law enforcement agencies.

Records obtained by ABC13 allege that DPS tipped off ICE before the deadly shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. DPS said the document is "incorrect."

08/28/2026

WEBSTER, Texas - Batman was passing through town today and had Batmobile problems.

The iconic Batmobile was stalled on the side of the Gulf Freeway during the Thursday afternoon commute, as shown by Houston TranStar cameras.

The traffic cameras captured the iconic vehicle that's been spotted around the Houston area.

Houston TranStar's website confirmed the stall happened in the Webster area on the southbound Gulf Freeway near El Dorado Boulevard.

Houston doctor and entrepreneur Abdulla Kudrath spoke about the iconic car and other vehicles he owns.

The bat signal ... may have to wait. Houston TranStar cameras showed the Batmobile stalled on the side of the Gulf Freeway on Thursday.

08/27/2026

Flock usage out of control - Pflugerville says hundreds of unauthorized agencies accessed its Flock system

AUSTIN - Following a vote to suspend the use of Flock cameras in the city, Pflugerville said over 400 agencies had accessed its Flock system, while only 83 had authorization.

The city said it had authorized 83 partner agencies to have access to its Flock system, which included select Texas police departments, universities and state agencies.

This new information comes after Pflugerville City Council members unanimously voted to terminate their master services agreement with Flock Safety at their Tuesday night meeting, resulting in the city turning off all 28 Flock License Plate Reader cameras leased by the city and covering them with plastic bags.

Pflugerville said it does not know what specific data was accessed and can only verify that the unauthorized agencies accessed the network. According to the city, it has requested that all city data be deleted immediately and permanently.

Following a vote to suspend the use of Flock cameras in the city, Pflugerville said over 400 agencies had accessed its Flock system, while only 83 had authorization.