Police Department lauded for professional standards
The City Council is taking a step back from voting on an ordinance aimed at people who sleep in public or panhandle aggressively in the downtown area.
Critics of the measure earlier this month argued the initiative puts an undue burden on the homeless.
Also during the Thursday meeting, officials began the process of putting city-charter revisions on a future ballot and the Police Department’s accreditation was recertified by a state law enforcement organization.
At its Oct. 23 session, council members asked city staff to bring the vagrancy ordinance back for consideration in January, giving them time to meet with both downtown stakeholders and organizations aiding the homeless.
The ordinance has met with community opposition since it was introduced Oct. 9. Police have argued the proposal puts some teeth into current loitering laws.
During Thursday’s meeting, resident Nicole Ward told council members they needed to consider more helpful solutions instead of punitive ones.
“They (loiterers) have nowhere else to go. They have no one advocating for them. They have no one helping them,” said Ward, who is the mother of three special-needs children. “We need to look at it from a bigger perspective and see how we can solve the problem without a big stick and without criminalizing people who have no one to help them address their mental-health condition.”
The proposed ordinance prohibits sleeping in public, aggressive panhandling or soliciting, and obstruction of sidewalks and pedestrian rights of way within the Downtown Overlay District.
Violators can be fined, a tactic some say is unfair to people already struggling with poverty.
Advocates, however, argue the new policy — if approved — helps promote business, tourism and public safety.
Supporters also said the measure will prevent people from sleeping in the open and sitting on public right of ways, ensuring the city complies with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
Interim Police Chief Joseph Branson told the council his officers treat the homeless and at-risk population with fairness.
“Our officers know these folks. They’re not targeting them. They’re not out to get them. They’re working with them and have for a very long time,” Branson said. “I’ve seen officers with their own money buy groceries for folks in this city. Our Police Department is a caring, compassionate department.”
The ordinance does not apply to those who have a mental-health crisis, Branson added.
Instead, it is geared to cases of willful disobedience, such as when a person has been asked to move or when some refuses to stop a prohibited behavior.
He does not expect the ordinance to be frequently used, but added the measure will give his officers a stronger tool for enforcement.
City to look at charter changes
Taylor has hired the law firm Denton Navarro Rodriguez Bernal Santee & Zech P.C. to help get ready for potential changes to the city charter.
Attorney Charles Zech will be working with city staff on this initiative, starting with the creation of a charter review committee.
Texas law allows a city to make changes to its charter every two years. The last charter amendment was the May 4, 2024, election.
The uniform election date in 2026 is May 2, which is a few days short of the two-year goal. That makes the November 2026 general election the earliest available for the city to get charter amendments on the ballot.
Charter amendment suggestions can come from a committee, but they can also be put on the ballot through a petition by the residents or simply by a motion from the council.
The council can also determine which suggested charter changes from a committee will go on the ballot.
Zech said charter review committees are frequently staffed by having each council member appoint one person to represent them, with the mayor having two appointees. He recommends city staff and council members refrain from serving on the review committee.
Community advocate Sarah Winters told council she would like to see the committee operate with transparency and include a variety of community members.
“The charter is Taylor’s rulebook. It defines how power works in this city. Changing it changes the balance between government and the people. That’s why this process has to be transparent and genuinely inclusive,” Winters said. “It needs to include everyday residents, not just the same board members and connected voices.”
Zech and the council will work on a timeline and committee process.
Taylor police make the grade
After a rigorous audit by the Texas Police Chief’s Association, the Taylor Police Department was recertified for the Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.
Interim Chief Joseph Branson received the award from Chief Scott Holt of the Lorena Police Department, who is the lead accreditation assessor for the Texas Police Chiefs Association, at the council meeting.
To qualify for certification, the Taylor force had to demonstrate compliance with 173 standards covering Texas law, court rulings and best practices. The assessors rode along with officers, inspected the department, reviewed practices and interviewed sworn personnel.
“The standards cover the full scope of police operations, including use of force, protection of individual rights, vehicle pursuit, property and evidence management, patrol procedures, policies and proper training among many others. This program has become the gold standard for professional policing in Texas,” Holt said.
Taylor police first earned accreditation in 2021. Of the more than 2,800 law enforcement agencies in Texas, only 224 are accredited.
“It is rigorous, it’s tough. It’s not easy and it’s not supposed to be,” Branson said. “The message to the community is because we have support from the council and city management like we do and because of the men and women of the Taylor Police Department we were able to get through this with flying colors.”
