County approves sheriff body-cam policy
After hearing emotional pleas from citizens, Bexar County commissioners approved a policy Tuesday encouraging the public release within 10 days of body camera videos from critical incidents involving county law enforcement.
Under the policy, the Commissioners Court committed to funding body cameras only if footage is released in the 10-day time frame. The policy applies to fatal officer-involved shootings, cases involving use of force that results in death or serious injury, and deaths of individuals while in the custody of law enforcement or jail personnel.
The video footage would be shown to family members before being released to the public, officials said.
The Sheriff ’s Office has had a policy in place on the release of the videos, but it does not specify a timeline. The videos often must be edited or redacted to remove images of children and of other people, license plates, locations or objects broadly defined by law as confidential.
Commissioner Trish Deberry asked the county’s Office of Criminal Justice for a presentation on a proposed policy that would provide release of video within 60 days of an incident. But Tuesday, she asked for a 10day window.
“I have been waiting for a policy to come forward since I came into office,” said Deberry, who took office in January.
“We have invested a lot of money in body cameras,” she said. “It speaks to transparency. It speaks to accountability.”
Sheriff Javier Salazar has said he was working on a policy to release footage within 30 days, as part of a plan to upgrade his department’s body camera and Tazer gear. But commissioners said they want a shorter turnaround on the videos before any more is spent on the cameras.
The county is in the third year of a five-year, $6.4 million contract with Axon Enterprise Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz., that provides 619 body cameras — 550 to the Sheriff’s Office and 69 to the constable’s offices. Axon also provides Taser equipment that Salazar has said needs updating.
Commissioners also authorized two previously frozen video librarian positions at Salazar’s request — to prepare footage for release with legally required redactions.
Police reform advocates and a family member of a man fatally shot by a police officer in the spring urged commissioners to offer a shorter window on video releases than 60 days — in line with San Antonio Police Department policy.
Sixty days is too long for families and the public to wait for the clarity and sometimes closure that a video can provide, said Ananda Tomas, executive director of Act 4 SA.
“We need a policy that promotes transparency and accountability to the public,” Tomas said.
Debra Montez Felder, whose 57-year-old brother died after being shot in March by a San Antonio police officer, pleaded with commissioners to show compassion for families. Police have said her brother, John Pena Montez, 57, was threatening his estranged wife and children with a knife.
But Felder, who saw body camera footage two months after the incident, said Montez was suffering from a mental health episode and had a kitchen knife because he intended to harm himself. She said the video contradicts police reports alleging her brother lunged at a police officer.
Police are using force excessively “and they’re allowed to get away with it” because body camera video isn’t being used to ensure accountability, Felder said.
“Our hearts are just breaking,” she said.
County officials said sheriff’s agencies in Harris and El Paso counties don’t have a specific policy on release of body camera videos. But police departments have stated timelines: 30 days in Houston, 10 business days in Austin and 72 hours in Dallas, officials said.
UTSA recognized
To start their last regular meeting of 2021, commissioners presented a resolution honoring the UTSA Roadrunners football team. Head football coach Jeff Traylor and key players were recognized after Friday’s victory over Western Kentucky to win the Conference USA title. The Roadrunners face San Diego State in the Dec. 21 Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl.
Commissioners congratulated Traylor and his players on a season that generated unprecedented excitement in San Antonio for the decade-old football program. Quarterback Frank Harris — son of Assistant District Attorney Daryl Harris, an employee of the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office since 2002 — lightheartedly asked commissioners to “watch over my dad while he works here.”
Winter, utility bills
CPS Energy officials presented updates on winter preparedness, including weatherization, grid operations and emergency communications, as well as a proposed 3.85 percent rate increase. If approved by the utility’s board and San Antonio City Council, the rate hike would take effect in March.
Commissioners urged the utility to continue working on preparation for severe weather events and to assist low-income customers to avoid utility shutoffs. Rudy Garza, interim president and CEO of CPS Energy, offered to visit commissioners regularly. Commissioner Deberry asked for quarterly updates.
Deberry said she’ll work with city officials and legislators to add a county representative to the CPS board, since about 30 percent of the utility’s customers live outside the city of San Antonio.