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Senate passes House Bill 15 to standardize law-enforcement personnel file structure statewide
Summary
The Senate approved House Bill 15 to require law-enforcement agencies to keep two-part employee records—one public personnel file and one nonpublic department file—matching a model policy used by many Texas cities. Supporters said the change protects officers’ privacy; opponents warned it could shield misconduct and limit transparency for victims.
The Senate passed House Bill 15, a measure requiring Texas law-enforcement agencies to maintain two records for each officer: a public personnel file that includes substantiated misconduct and disciplinary actions and a nonpublic department file that holds unsubstantiated complaints, coaching notes and personal background material.
Senator King, speaking for the bill, said the measure codifies a model policy recommended by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement’s (TCOLE) committee and already in use in many Texas cities. “We are adopting it statewide,” King said on the floor, noting departments such as Houston, Fort Worth and Austin already use similar systems.
Supporters argued the change creates consistency across roughly 1,700 Texas law-enforcement agencies and protects officers — and their families — from doxxing…
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