State Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, filed a bill Nov. 9 that would ban law enforcement agencies from contracting with reality TV shows.
House Bill 54 was written in response to the case of Javier Ambler, a Black man who died in Williamson County Sheriff's Office custody in March 2019, according to a news release. “Live PD,” a law enforcement reality show with which WCSO was contracting at the time, was filming on the scene, but the event was not aired and was later deleted.
“Policing is not entertainment,” Talarico said in the release. “In the tragic murder of Javier Ambler, we saw what happens when law enforcement leaders are more interested in boosting their ratings than protecting our communities. I hope Democrats and Republicans will come together to pass this bill to protect our citizens and restore trust in law enforcement.”
The bill specifically bans state and local law enforcement from contracting with television film crews to film officers while acting in the line of duty for the purpose of creating a reality television show, the release said.
