SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales will announce the creation of a Civil Rights Division Friday to handle shootings that involved police officers.
The team will consist of two prosecutors, an investigator and a victim's advocate, according to a press release from the district attorney's office. The press release says the team will actually respond to the scene of shootings in order to independently review the cases.
The Civil Right Division will report directly to District Attorney Gonzales, who says this type of team is needed in the community.
“I remain committed to finding the best practices for the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office. While Bexar County is not the first to establish a Civil Rights Division, I have spoken to other larger county’s District Attorneys about how they have been able to make the process more independent with their own Civil Rights Divisions. Until the State of Texas establishes a truly independent investigative and prosecutorial process, it is up to local law enforcement and prosecutors to do their best to scrutinize these shootings with as much independence as we can manage,” Gonzales said.
A press conference is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. Friday and will be streamed from this article.
