Sandra Bland Act in good hands

Sandra Bland’s 2015 death was ruled a suicide. She was found in a Waller County jail after being arrested during a routine traffic stop near Houston. It was contentious arrest and it was followed by a series of missteps from law enforcement.

Regardless of ruling, a lack of responsiveness contributed to Bland’s death.

The Sandra Bland Act, or SB 1849, was passed in the most recent Texas Legislative Session and will help prevent similar events like the ones surrounding Bland’s death from happening again. The law took effect Sept. 1.

The bill is focused on diversion programs for those suffering from mental health issues and/or substance use disorder and racial profiling. The Senate removed most of the racial profiling provisions much to our dismay, but we are grateful for what survived.

The law will mandate more de-escalation training for officers, stringent jail checks, diversion programs, and a focus on behavioral health, among other provisions.

The law has the potential to achieve criminal justice reform, but much like any law, it’s about how it will be implemented and those that will lead that work.

Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, the author of an identical House bill, has been a champion for the Sandra Bland Act.

As the chairman of the County Affairs House Committee, he is taking the implementation of the law seriously. His committee recently held a hearing on the implementation of the Sandra Bland Act, listening to testimony from jail reform advocates.

It was a first — and we hope not the last — look into the complicated yet doable process that lays ahead. It will take hard work, open attitudes, overhauls of antiquated policies and someone like Coleman to keep others on track.

When a member of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas balked at the idea of jail administrators made to take recurring assessment exams, Coleman fired back.

It’s illogical to think just because you’re in a position, you’re good at it, Coleman said. Nobody is immune from learning more and proving that they know it.

“Remember, this started with a jail death. A death,” he said to his fellow committee members after the tense moment.

Coleman is the champion the Sandra Bland Act needs. There are local elected officials, including Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford and Rep. Victoria Neave from Dallas, on the County Affairs House Committee.

These lawmakers and others must take responsibility for implementing this legislation with the same commitment.

This story was originally published September 1, 2017 at 6:12 PM with the headline "Sandra Bland Act in good hands."