Violent encounters nearly doubled when Live PD filmed with a Texas sheriff department

Austin-American Statesman

The Austin American-Statesman says it found that the Williamson County Sheriff's Office -- which came under fire after Live PD captured the death of Javier Ambler at the hands of deputies in 2019 and allowed the recording be destroyed -- found that "violent encounters between Williamson County sheriff’s deputies and civilians nearly doubled from 43 in 2017 — the year before Live PD joined the department — to 82 in 2019. During the weeks when the reality TV show filmed with the department, deputies used force significantly more often than during weeks when those cameras weren’t on patrol." The newspaper also found that violence against Black suspects represented one in five of the "use-of-force targets, despite the fact they make up just 1 in 10 of Williamson County residents."