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Residents urge San Marcos council to release records and increase police accountability after March 14 arrest
Summary
During a lengthy citizen‑comment period, multiple residents called on the city to release body‑camera footage and 911 recordings from a March 14 police stop, to conduct a full investigation of officers involved, and to seek broader reforms to oversight and transparency.
Multiple San Marcos residents urged the City Council on May 19 to demand transparency and stronger oversight after a March 14 police stop that left one family detained and the community calling for more than brief disciplinary action.
At the podium, Amy Camp said she wanted “full accountability and transparency regarding the stop and arrest of Gerardo Reyes and Esteban Reyes on March 14,” and specifically called for the release of any body‑camera footage and 911 recordings, a full investigation of the officers involved and a public statement asking the Hays County district attorney to drop remaining charges and ICE to release Gerardo Reyes. Camp said the limited acknowledgments by the city and the San Marcos Police Department were “not enough.”
Guadalupe Saarinana described ongoing family trauma from the March incident and urged the council to ensure records are released without requiring sustained public pressure. “If it takes a video for accountability, then accountability is already failing,” she said, calling for transparency to be routine rather than the result of exposure.
Resident Rodrigo Amaya criticized a 24‑hour suspension imposed on an officer implicated in the case as “not even a slap in the hand” and said the incident reflects a broader lack of oversight in the police department. Chris Pipalanco (who spoke under the name Chris Pipalanco) said footage warranted firing the officer he referenced: “Fire him,” he said. Several speakers tied the incident to a pattern of past cases that, they said, resulted in scrutiny only after media or public attention.
One speaker acknowledged the city had made limited concessions: Camp noted the county dropped some criminal charges and the city acknowledged at least one officer engaged in misconduct. But residents said institutional changes — earlier disclosure of records, clearer investigatory processes and opportunities for community input into civil service contract terms — are needed to restore trust.
The council did not take immediate action on these public comments during open session; the item related to the March 14 arrests was later listed for discussion in executive session under the Texas Government Code for consultation with the city attorney.
