Police Delay Use Of Force Video From Recent Austin Protests

AUSTIN, TX — The Austin Police Department has opted not to release video evidence related to law enforcement suppression of protesters during recent downtown demonstrations decrying police brutality, despite having pledged earlier to release footage within 60 days of the incidents.

Police video stems from May 30 incidents involving officers' deployment of non-lethal projetiles that left two young protesters — a Black demonstrator and a Hispanic teenager — with serious head injuries. A third protester, a pregnant African American woman, was hit in the belly with a similar projectile.

Injuries sustained by protesters during the recent demonstrations added more ire among those calling for police reform, including from city council members and the mayor who condemned the use of force against peaceful protesters. Austin Police Chief Brian Manley was grilled during a subsequent council meeting conducted remotely due to the coronavirus, and he pledged to ban the use of such projectiles as a means of crowd control in the future even while touting their effectiveness in some instances.

Related stories:

Manley also vowed to transparency as an internal police investigation proceeded. But after consulting with the district attorney, release of police video will now be delayed to protect the integrity of the investigation, police said in an advisory.

"It is the policy of the Austin Police Department that video evidence in the department's possession pertaining to critical incidents involving APD will be released to the public within 60 days of the incident(s), unless the chief determines that a delay is needed to address investigative, prosecutorial, or privacy interests," a police prepared statement read. Police offered the definition of “critical incidents” as those including a use of force resulting in serious bodily injury as defined by Section 1.07 of the Texas Penal Code.

"In consultation with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, the videos related to the critical incidents from the recent protest-related uses of force will not be released during the initial 60-day time frame because doing so could potentially impact the integrity of the ongoing criminal investigations into the incidents," the police statement read. "APD investigators are working diligently with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, as applicable, to review hundreds of complaints, videos, reports, and supplements related to the various uses of force from the protests."

Police added: "Additionally, investigators are in the process of scheduling and conducting interviews with the involved officers, complainants, and witnesses. The primary reason for the delayed release of the relevant videos is the fact that investigators have not had the opportunity to interview all of the key witnesses or involved personnel identified during the course of the respective investigations. The circumstances prohibiting the immediate release of the videos will be reassessed within the next 30 days. We anticipate the videos will be available for release at a future date."

It's the second time Austin police have opted to delay critical video surveillance related to officers' use of force. Also as a result of a consultation with the district attorney, police announced they would delay the release of police video related to an officer's use of lethal force during a confrontation with an unarmed man outside a South Austin apartment complex on April 24.

LIke the protest videos, footage showing the fatal shooting of Michael Ramos, 42, was delayed after City Manager Spencer Cronk asked for a delay so the police department could conduct the proper oversight in its investigation per newly approved policy. The video on the Ramos killing initially was supposed to be released by June 23.