Three police officers are charged with shooting death of Melissa Perez, whom they fired on as she experienced a mental health crisis. Her family is still seeking justice nearly two years later. Credit: Stephanie Koithan

A pair of bills before the Texas Legislature aim to make more of law enforcement agencies’ disciplinary records inaccessible to most outside parties, leading police-accountability activists to sound the alarm about the legislation’s threat to public oversight.

The proposals — House Bill 2486 and Senate Bill 781 — would require all law enforcement agencies to create confidential personnel files for their officers. Activists warn that incidents for which an officer ultimately receives no discipline would be shielded from view.

“The vague language to block access to police disciplinary records for any agency or person — outside of another law-enforcement agency looking to hire that officer — could mean anyone from district attorneys to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards to independent oversight offices like they have in Dallas and Austin,” Ananda Tomas, executive director of police oversight group Act 4 SA, told the Current.

Groups including the Texas Jail Project, the Texas Civil Rights Project, the Austin Justice Coalition and Texas Organizing Project have joined Act 4 SA in opposing the legislation.

The bills would also enable jails to seal records on prisoner deaths and hamper independent investigations required by the Sandra Bland Act, a 2017 state law that requires independent agencies investigate jail deaths.

Such investigations are needed, advocates argue, in cases like that of Javonte Myers, whose 2020 death in Tarrant County Jail was initially reported as the result of natural causes. An independent probe later found he could have survived his seizure if not for jailer negligence.

HB 2486 and SB 781 are expected to be voted out of committee sometime next week.

San Antonio activists with Act 4 SA are drawing attention to the bills as they work on a months-long mural project honoring people who died at the hands of San Antonio police and the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO).

The “Say Their Names” mural, 3514 Martin Luther King Drive, features portraits of 14 San Antonians who died after run-ins with SAPD and BCSO deputies. The artwork also features the victims’ families.

Melissa Perez, whose portrait is depicted in the photo above, was experiencing a mental health crisis in June 2023 when three officers responded to a call at her apartment complex. Officers fatally shot her through a closed patio window as she held a hammer in her hand.

On Tuesday, nearly two years after the incident, Judge Ron Rangel held a hearing on the case, but no trial date has yet been set.

The “Say Their Names” mural is still a work in progress, and artist David Blancas said he expects it to wrap up before National Stop Police Brutality Day on October 22. As he works on the project, he plans to prioritize victims’ portraits in tandem with movement on their cases. That’s why he’s working on Perez’s this week: the hearing represents a glimmer of hope for more activity. “It’s about giving them a voice and another opportunity to tell the story of what happened, in their own words,” Blancas said.

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This article appears in Apr 2-15, 2025.

Stephanie Koithan is the Digital Content Editor of the San Antonio Current. In her role, she writes about politics, music, art, culture and food. Send her a tip at skoithan@sacurrent.com.