National Center for Police Defense Makes Statement on 5 New Officer Indictments in Austin, TX

[Fairfax, Virginia] – On Thursday, June 1st 2023, National Center for Police Defense, Inc. (NCPD) learned that an additional 5 police officers who were at the 2020 Austin riots are being charged for doing their jobs as they were trained. With these additional indictments, there are now a total of 22 officers being unjustly charged and used as political fodder by anti-police politicians.

On Memorial Day, District Attorney Jose Garza sent an email to Attorney Doug O’Connell, who is representing the previously charged officers, announcing that a special Grand Jury was being held on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 to charge an additional 5 police officers who were at the 2020 riots. Garza followed up by demanding a response from O’Connell by 8pm the evening of May 29, 2023- the day before the hearing- to acknowledge that he wanted to attend the Special Grand Jury with defense materials. Attorney Doug O’Connell, commented, “They’ve had 2 years + 363 days to do this but they wait till today.”  

Vice President Bert Eyler commented, “Police officers are fighting a war in the streets of every major city in the United States. Yes, there is a declared “War on Cops” and as that war rages on a despotic, Soros-backed District Attorney has brought that war from the street to the courts. He is targeting 5 more Austin Police Officers who were protecting the City of Austin during the riots of 2020. These men are being charged for using less-lethal projectiles to help protect themselves and the city. Now they are being charged by this arrogant ubiquitous man who believes all law enforcement is racist and violent. Jose Garza is an insidious cancer that causes hate for police officers to grow from person to person, and city to city. These Soros-funded District Attorneys are not fighting for justice- they strive to infuse hate.” 

Jose Garza is a wrong-headed and underhanded public official who strives to ruin the lives of good cops who do the job the way they were trained. His course of action is not only hurting the Austin PD but the City of Austin, where tourism is down, crime is up and Garza continues to lose his cadre of DA’s that want to enforce the law, not abuse it. The National Center for Police Defense Board of Directors stands with these officers and the Austin Police Association!