Asking Questions Later

The Travis County District Attorney's office announced April 3 that a grand jury declined to indict Travis County Sheriff's Office Deputy Derek Hill, who shot and killed 19-year-old Tony Martinez during a drug raid in Del Valle. Hill and other members of the TCSO, in conjunction with the Capital Area Narcotics Task Force, had been executing a search warrant for accused drug dealers Edwin Delamora and Arturo Alvarez in the wee hours of Dec. 20 when an officer shot Martinez, who was asleep on a couch in Delamora's trailer.

In an April 5 press release, Travis County Sheriff Margo Frasier said although the grand jury had issued a no-bill, Hill will remain on administrative duty until TCSO completes an internal administrative review and determines what, if any, action is appropriate. Frasier lamented Martinez's death, but ultimately blamed the shooting on Delamora and Alvarez's drug dealing. They "choose to deal drugs out of their houses where other people reside," she said. "They tried to hide their criminal conduct behind innocent people, including children."

Frasier acknowledges that people are divided over the necessity of strict drug laws, but counters that the TCSO's place is to enforce the law, not to enter that debate. However, she said, TCSO will implement "some additional review steps" before executing such search warrants such as having supervisors review operation plans in order to assess if they are "appropriate, including time of day and the presence of other persons."

Interestingly enough, Frasier also notes that the TCSO will pull out of the Capital Area Narcotics Task Force; future narcotics investigations will be "solely under the supervision of my office," she said. The Task Force, and others like it across the state, have come under increasing fire in recent months for complaints of excessive use of force, lack of supervision, and a vigilante-like m.o. In January, the Department of Public Safety announced it would assume responsibility for overseeing task force operations and doling out the grant money that funds them. In terms of future funding for narco enforcement activities as well as the effect on officer accountability, the ultimate effect of the TCSO's withdrawal from the task force remains to be seen.