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The movement to ban reality TV shows from working with Texas law enforcement


Cell phone video showed a "COPS" camera crew trailing Bexar County Sheriff's deputies during a chase in October 2019.{p}{/p}
Cell phone video showed a "COPS" camera crew trailing Bexar County Sheriff's deputies during a chase in October 2019.

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SAN ANTONIO (UPDATE May 27, 2021) - Governor Greg Abbott signed a law Wednesday, which bans Texas law enforcement officers from working with reality TV shows.

The law, known as the Javier Ambler Act, was written up after Ambler died in 2019 while in custody with Wilson County as Live PD filmed it all.

---ORIGINAL STORY BELOW---

SAN ANTONIO – There’s now a push to ban law enforcement in Texas from working with reality TV shows.

A bill was filed in the Texas legislature in direct response to the March 2019 death of Javier Ambler, a 40-year-old postal worker who died in police custody while a camera crew from the popular show “Live PD” was shadowing law enforcement.

Deputies from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office in Central Texas tried to pull over Ambler for failing to dim his headlights. After a chase led to Ambler crashing his car, he got out of the vehicle with his hands raised. Deputies then tased him and held him down.

“I can’t breathe,” Ambler is overheard saying several times on body camera footage later obtained from law enforcement.

Ambler’s death was ruled a homicide caused by heart problems combined with “excessive forcible restraint.”

“Reality TV shows are designed for entertainment and for ratings,” says State Representative James Talarico (D - Round Rock).

He represents the area north of Austin where the deputies worked and has now filed a bill that would ban Texas law enforcement from contracting with reality TV shows.

"The death of Javier Ambler could have been avoided if the officers that night were not being tailed by a reality TV show that were egging them on, urging them to be more aggressive than they otherwise would have,” State Rep. Talarico says.

You might remember that here at home, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office teamed up with the TV show "COPS" in October 2019. What happened next was far less tragic, but still generated plenty of controversy.

A wrong-way chase on I-35 ended with the “COPS” camera crew trailing right behind sheriff’s deputies as they ran across the highway.

"It felt like out of Hollywood,” Tyrell Richards told us in the aftermath.

"It definitely added to the suspense,” witness Allison McGregor added.

When we asked San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus if he felt the reality show impacted the Sheriff’s Office’s chase, he didn’t mince words.

"Let me be very direct in my answer: the answer is yes,” Chief McManus told us.

His answer was a stark contrast to how Sheriff Javier Salazar answered the same question that day.

"It certainly doesn't affect the way that [deputies] work,” Sheriff Salazar told us.

Almost a year and a half later, he stands by his decision to allow “COPS” to shadow his deputies.

In a statement to the Trouble Shooters, Sheriff Salazar writes: “Immediately following the airing of several ‘COPS’ episodes, we saw an increase in applicants applying to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. Our initial reasoning behind partnering with ‘COPS’ was for this specific purpose.”

The Trouble Shooters asked State Rep. Talarico what he would say to agencies that believe participating in reality TV shows helps recruitment.

"Anyone who joins a law enforcement department because they want to be a star is probably not going to the best police officer for our community,” State Rep. Talarico answers.

As for whether reality shows can increase transparency, he believes that can be better achieved in other ways.

The bodycam footage that was obtained in June 2020 by investigative journalists in Austin is the best video evidence of Ambler’s death. “Live PD” destroyed its unaired footage, under the contract it had with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

We’ll let you know what lawmakers decide about the proposed bill. In the meantime, the Bexar County Sheriff has left the door open to working with reality shows in the future.

By EMILY BAUCUM

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