Thread by @reveal

UPDATE: In June, we published bodycam footage of a Texas sheriff’s deputy, Patrick Divers, tasing an unarmed refugee child at a shelter for migrant children.

We’ve learned that Divers won’t be disciplined. revealnews.org/article/texas-…

Divers tased the refugee child, a 16-year-old boy, for 35 seconds.

The incident originally took place in May 2020 and only became publicly known more than a year later after Reveal obtained the footage through a public records request and published it.

https://twitter.com/reveal/status/1402341421382717444

The footage shows Divers arrived at the government-sponsored shelter in San Antonio after staff called 911 because the boy refused to go to class and allegedly broke some bed frames and bins.

Divers did not request evidence of the child’s alleged wrongdoing before tasing him.

Divers also did not attempt to have his orders translated into Spanish by staff, nor did he tell the boy that he was under arrest.

Before he was tased, the child showed no signs of fighting back or resisting arrest, according to the footage. revealnews.org/article/texas-…

After we published the footage, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office immediately placed Divers on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Since then, the department has provided many contradictory and confusing statements about its investigation. revealnews.org/article/texas-…

In December, the department told us that Divers had returned to work, but that the investigation was ongoing.

A month later, we were told the investigation into Divers had actually concluded in July.

In the end, Divers’ administrative leave was only 10 days — and it was paid.

We obtained a copy of the internal investigation.

It concluded Divers followed protocol when he tased the unarmed migrant child, and contends he “utilized reasonable force based on the circumstances that (the deputy) had at the time the force was used.” documentcloud.org/documents/2119…

In its justification, the report cites what it calls the child’s “aggressive behavior, prior assaultive behavior, and additional pertinent information provided by staff members at the facility.” revealnews.org/article/texas-…

But Divers hadn’t been told about any allegations about the child’s past behavior until after the tasing, according to his bodycam footage. That information was shared by the child’s then-case manager. revealnews.org/article/texas-…

The investigation also claims that the boy was a flight risk because he was tying the string on his pants.

He explained to us that he tied his pants because he worried they would fall down, leaving him exposed.

The Sheriff’s Office said in an email that Divers couldn’t be disciplined for any policy violations because he’s covered by a collective bargaining agreement that shields deputies from discipline 180 days after any given incident. revealnews.org/article/texas-…

But the union behind that agreement, the Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Bexar County, disagrees with the sheriff’s framing, alleging that Sheriff Javier Salazar is using the 180-day rule to avoid criticism for keeping Divers on the job. revealnews.org/article/texas-…

Reveal also obtained new records that raise questions about whether Sheriff Salazar’s office immediately knew about the child’s tasing.

Divers completed a use-of-force report the day of the tasing. It was signed by a supervisor and forwarded to internal affairs, records show.

We’ve requested to speak with Sheriff Salazar on at least a dozen occasions since May. His team formally declined an interview last month.

Divers also could not be reached for comment.

Read the full story by @aurabogado + @lauracmorel: revealnews.org/article/texas-…