Dallas Democrat explains proposed changes to Texas ankle monitors

DALLAS. This week, the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate made several proposals from both parties to change the way ankle monitors are used in the state.

State Representative Rafael Anchia of Dallas believes there is still more to be done, including a broader discussion about whether Texas should use these monitors at all.

“I don’t think they should be used against violent criminals,” Anchia said. Inside Texas Politics.

Police said a man on parole for aggravated robbery entered a Methodist hospital in Dallas last fall with a gun and shot and killed two hospital workers.

The shooter was on a foot monitor when he fired at medical workers. He had previously cut one off, but his parole was not revoked.

Anchia has filed several bills to criminalize what the suspect is charged with.

“I filed a package of three invoices,” Anchia said.

Anchia said his law and similar bills are bipartisan. But he also demanded a state audit. It will be completed in April, but has already revealed big problems.

“This perpetrator violated his foot monitor 52 times, the state only investigated 27 of those violations, so there are serious gaps – I don’t know if this is due to a lack of staff or the criminal justice system,” he said.

Texas has a $32 billion surplus. And some of that money was asked to be spent on criminal justice.

“We have underfunded our criminal justice system for a long time. This process is happening in parallel with these bills that will go through the appropriation process,” Anchia said.

But Anchia also added that what he’s asking for isn’t really difficult.