Category Archives: Texas Government Watch

Texas Prosecutor on Trial for Prosecutorial Misconduct

Prosecutorial misconduct is a problem of epidemic proportions in this country.  There is lots of discussion in criminal justice circles (and elsewhere) about how best to rein in these rogues and stop the rampant injustice created by prosecutorial misconduct. For more on the severity and seriousness of the prosecutorial misconduct problem in Texas, read our…


Gang Crime Charges: Increasing Prosecution of Gang-Related Crimes in Texas

This week, President Trump publicly blamed former President Obama for allowing known Central American gang MS-13 to gain a foothold in the United States.  See, “Trump blames Obama for formation of MS-13 crime gang,” published by the Business Insider on April 17, 2017. Two months ago, the President signed a series of three executive orders…


Texas Needs New Asset Forfeiture Law Reform: Spread the Word

Asset forfeiture:  yes, we’re back on the stump about it again. First, let’s talk about the status of the pending asset forfeiture reform legislation as of the end of February 2017. We wrote about this proposed legislation right around Christmas; see the details in “Will Texas End Civil Forfeiture in 2017?” 1.  Texas Senate On…


Heroin Overdose Antidote Naloxone (Narcan) Available Over the Counter in Dallas and Fort Worth

Heroin overdoses kill people.  Ditto, other opioids – like fentanyl.  In fact, it’s much easier to OD on fentanyl than heroin.  Why?  Fentanyl is extremely powerful; more so than heroin. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Here in North Texas, combining heroin with synthetic opioid fentanyl is popular.  Fentanyl-heroin blends are sold…


Child Pornography: Defending Against Overreaching Investigations Using the Internet

Here in Texas, specific teams of law enforcement are dedicated to investigating, arresting, and prosecuting child pornography laws.  Their focus is solely on building cases against individuals violating either state or federal child porn statutes.   That’s fine.  Task forces have been around for years. Overreaching Child Porn Investigations Violate the Law The problem today is…


Will Texas End Civil Forfeiture in 2017?

Right now, the police can take your property and keep it forever even if you are never convicted of any crime.  Things may change soon, though. Here’s the skinny: New Law Proposed to End Civil Forfeiture in Texas In a matter of weeks, state lawmakers will return to Austin for the 85th Biennial Texas Legislative…


The New 2016 Marijuana Laws: What It Means for Texas

This month, several states had marijuana on their ballots.  Texas wasn’t among them, of course.  As a result of these November elections, we’ve got more states getting ready to offer medical marijuana in their jurisdictions as well as recreational marijuana within their boundaries. A very exciting result for pot proponents around the country as well…


Texas Sex Offender Registry List Is Huge But Not Every Listed Sex Offender Is an Adult Who Committed a Sex Crime

Last week, the Austin American Statesman published some pretty important facts about the State of Texas’ Sex Offender Registry. The Austin newspaper’s investigation needs to have lots of state-wide scrutiny because what is being revealed by the Statesman is critical information for every Texan. The Statesman’s full investigative piece was published online on July 14,…


Domestic Violence in Dallas: Arrests Are a Priority for Dallas Police

Dallas crime rates are really high, and local law enforcement is doing all sorts of things to try and combat the skyrocketing numbers of criminal acts being reported in the Dallas area. There have been cries to oust the Dallas Police Chief, things are so bad — so far, Police Chief Brown is weathering the…


Will You Go to State Jail or Texas Prison? The Importance of Plea Negotiations

This week, Dallas Police Chief David Brown is fighting to keep his job after the news got out that there has been almost a 75% increase in murders in the Dallas area. That’s right: SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT. The Black Police Association is calling on Chief Brown to resign. The Dallas Police Association admits that the city’s…