Texas Governor Seeks To Combat Police Defunding Efforts

AUSTIN, TX — Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday staged a roundtable discussion in Austin with law enforcement and public safety advocates to discuss legislative priorities "...to ensure a safer future for the Lone Star State," the governor said.

During the roundtable, the governor and participants discussed the importance of supporting law enforcement and combating efforts to defund the police. Officials also discussed bail reform. Abbott noted he is working with the Legislature this session to reform the bail system in Texas by expanding the criteria that judges must consider when setting bail and increasing the qualifications of judges who can set bail.

"Here in Texas, we will never turn our back on our law enforcement officers," Abbott said. "Texas will always be a law-and-order state, and we must lead the way for the rest of the nation when it comes to supporting our police. The government's number one responsibility is to keep its citizens safe, and we will not allow cities to recklessly defund the police and put innocent lives in danger.

Image courtesy of State of Texas.

"We must also act this session to reform a broken bail system that allows dangerous criminals to go free, and I applaud Sen. [John] Whitmire and Representatives [Kyle] Kacal and [Andrew] Murr for their leadership on this important issue. I look forward to working with my partners in the Legislature this session to build a safer future for the Lone Star State."

Related story: Texas Governor To Stage Public Safety Roundtable In Austin

Kevin Lawrence, Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA) executive director, lauded the governor's presentation in a subsequent prepared statement.

“Governor Abbott is correct: Texas is a law-and-order state. Law enforcement officers faithfully step up and selflessly serve their communities, keeping families, homes, and communities safe," Lawrence wrote in a prepared statement. "This legislative session is an opportunity for Texas to stand for public safety — not complicate the jobs of our brave men and women in uniform. At TMPA, we have always advocated for professionalism and progress in our industry, but too many people are calling for knee-jerk legislation that won’t protect people and instead put officers in unnecessary danger. We’re pleased to know Gov. Abbott recognizes this, and we’re proud to be at the table to have this conversation."

Others weren't as charitable. Austin City Council member Greg Casar suggested the governor's moves were partly in retaliation of recent council action meant to re-haul some aspects of local policing. In August 2020, the Council voted to redirect certain duties long performed by officers — namely interacting with the homeless or dealing with residents in the throes of mental crises — to better-equipped social service agencies. All told, some $150 million of the police budget was redirected elsewhere — a move known colloquially as "police defunding," a term some police reform advocates see as reductive.

“In the wake of unjustifiable shootings and violence by police, our community has pushed the city to make much needed change," Casar wrote in a prepared statement. "Now, Gov. Abbott is supporting proposals to protect departments that do the wrong thing. He wants to punish Austin for establishing a civil rights office, family violence shelters, an independent forensic lab, and substance use programs in our latest budget. It’s yet another chapter of his political theater, and it’s clear he doesn’t know the first thing about saving lives. If Gov. Abbott is so interested in the local budget process, he should file to run for Austin City Council. The election in his district is next year. I don’t expect he’d do very well.”

The governor was joined in the roundtable by a number of state officials:

• Frederick Frazier - 1st Vice President, Dallas Police Association; State Legislative Chair, Texas Fraternal Order of Police.
• Mitch Landry - Deputy Executive Director, Texas Municipal Police Association.
• Kevin Masters - Senior Strategy Analyst, Office of the Governor's Public Safety Office.
• Col. Steve McCraw - Executive Director, Texas Department of Public Safety.
• Manny Ramirez - President, Fort Worth Police Officers Association.
• Marvin Ryals - President, Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas.
• Alden Southmayd - Sheriff, Bee County.
• Joell Sullivan-McNew - President, SafeHorns.
• Jennifer Tharp - Criminal District Attorney, Comal County.