Proposed Texas’ Bill to Protect Officers from Excessive Force Charges

A bill proposed to the Texas House increases protections for police officers across the state from deadly conduct charges while on the line of duty.

What Does Texas House Bill 2436 Propose for Officers?

HB 2436 in Texas essentially gives officers more freedom when it comes to taking action during arrests or other official duties.

The bill states that police officers are exempt from deadly conduct laws (recklessly engaging in conduct that puts another in imminent danger or harm) if "at the time of the offense the actor was engaged in the actual discharge of official duties as a peace officer," and, "the actor reasonably believed the actor's conduct was necessary or justified."

Austin Officer's Case Ignites Debate On Police Protections In Texas

Advocates for the bill reference the sentencing of Austin police officer Christopher Taylor after he shot and killed an armed suspect while on duty. The suspect, Mauris DeSilva, was experiencing a mental health crisis and was armed with a knife. Taylor ultimately shot and killed DeSilva, prompting a lawsuit from DeSilva's father claiming it was an abuse of power, and his son was not a threat to anyone but himself.

Officer Taylor was sentenced to prison for two years for deadly conduct. This sparked many lawmakers and enforcement personnel in Texas to push for more protections for police officers when on the line of duty.

Rep. Cole Hefner out of Mount Pleasant had this to say on the House floor:

The deadly conduct statute was never intended to be used against peace officers. It has in recent years, in my understanding, been misapplied, inappropriately applied to go after law enforcement officers.

Chairman Hefner appeared on Tuesday's edition of The Chad Hasty Show at the Texas Capitol and spoke about the bill. You can listen to that interview below.

Texas Bill Sparks Controversy Over Police Accountability And Public Safety

Those who oppose the bill say that this is too dangerous, and that it gives too much power to officers who can behave however they want while on the job, as long as they claim their actions were justified.

They say this would shield officers from accountability for recklessly firing their guns or other excessive uses of force as well.

So, what do you think? Should Texas offer more protection for officers while on the line of duty? Should deadly conduct laws still apply to all officers when fatal action is taken to subdue a suspect?