AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued Travis County for holding an "unlawful secret meeting" to approve a taxpayer-funded special security for Travis County District Attorney José Garza.
The lawsuit comes following reporting by the KVUE Defenders in August that Travis County commissioners quietly moved $115,000 to Garza's office for home security. In the lawsuit, Paxton claims the county's actions violated the Texas Open Meetings Act.
“Travis County has illegally abused procedure to conceal self-serving decision-making, to hide from scrutiny, and to prevent citizens from knowing exactly what is being done with their money,” Paxton said about the lawsuit. “After the Travis County DA’s pro-crime policies have created such dangerous conditions for Austin residents, it is especially ironic that he secretly sought taxpayer-funded security measures for his home.”
For several months, Travis County constables have provided overnight security to Garza's home. The unprecedented security came after Garza privately appealed to county commissioners, citing the posting of his address on social media. The move raised questions from government watchdog and transparency groups, leading to a series of stories by the KVUE Defenders about how the county evaluates threats – and decides who gets protection and when.
Recently it was revealed that county commissioners are now setting up a new $1.8 million mini-law enforcement agency to protect elected and appointed officials, along with county employees they consider under threat.
The county is also adopting protocols to better evaluate future threats concerning communications to decide more equitably about how the county distributes armed security through a new five-person law enforcement agency.
"Essentially, they would be used for potentially providing protection when necessary for individuals. It could be employees, staff members of the organization, elected officials. It really just depends on the circumstances,” Paul Hopingardner, Travis County’s executive for technology and operations, said.
The KVUE Defenders checked other urban Texas counties to determine if they have similar programs, but couldn’t find any that operate protection teams quite like the proposed Travis County program.
However, several counties, including Bexar County, said sheriff’s deputies provide security to elected officials from time to time if they receive a specific threat and that the type and duration of that protection is usually negotiated through the official and the sheriff’s office.
It's unclear if the county will continue to provide the same level of protection to Garza, including overnight constable security at his home, through the new program. Officials said the level of threat he currently faces and need for that protection is expected to be re-evaluated by this new team.
