Texas prosecutor drops charges against 17 Austin police over tactics used during 2020 protests

By PAUL J. WEBER and JIM VERTUNO
Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas prosecutor is dropping most of the charges levied against police officers in Austin over tactics used during the 2020 protests that followed George Floyd’s killing. Monday’s announcement is a reversal for Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, a progressive who ran on promises to hold police accountable in the Texas capital. Garza said his office would dismiss indictments against 17 officers but still move forward with prosecuting four others. The slate of felony charges in Austin were by far the most indictments of officers from a single U.S. police department over tactics law enforcement used during the 2020 protests.