ACLU Questions Intent of DPS Checkpoints in Rio Grande Valley, Issues Open Records Request

Oct 4, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Tom Hargis, Director of Communications, 713.942-8146 x103 or 832.291.4776; media@aclutx.org

Brownsville – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas and members of the Rio Grande Valley Equal Voice Network delivered an open records request to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) today, requesting information on DPS’s recent multi-law enforcement initiative in the Rio Grande Valley. The letter explains that the state agency’s roadside-checkpoint crackdown has harmed local communities, disrupted lives, and undermined trust in law enforcement. View the open records request here:  http://www.aclutx.org/download/159.

The following is a statement from Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texas:

“The DPS checkpoints clearly were designed to target the most vulnerable residents, not combat crime or improve traffic safety. These actions had a devastating impact on local businesses, schools, and low-income neighborhoods. We are eager to see the response to our open records request, which we think will demonstrate that state officials sworn to protect and serve are operating alongside federal Border Patrol agents in a way that erodes public trust, making us all less safe.”