Sandra Bland's Sister Criticizes Traffic Stop, Governor Promises Answers
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WALLER COUNTY (CBS11) -Relatives expressed outrage once again after Sandra Bland died following a controversial traffic stop, arrest, and detention at the Waller County, Texas jail.
Bland's sister, Sharon Cooper, says she watched the dashcam video from State Trooper Brian Encinia's vehicle.
Cooper says, "I've seen it in its entirety, Sandy was pulled over for failure to signal a lane change. and I feel like the officer was picking on her and I personally think it was petty."
During the video, Bland refused to get out of her car and the trooper screamed at her.
Bland asked, "You're threatening to drag me out of my own car?"
Encinia shouted, "Get out of the car!"
And he threatened, "I will light you up!"
Cooper says, "Not once did he ever say he was threatened, but when you tell me you are going to light me up, I'm going to feel very concerned and i'm not going to get out of my car."
On Wednesday, Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement saying, "Our hearts and prayers remain with the Bland family for their tragic loss. The family deserves answers. The Texas Rangers, working in coordination with the FBI, will conduct a full and thorough investigation that will deliver those answers and work toward the ultimate goal of ensuring justice in this case."
The Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Steve McCraw has said the trooper, who's been with DPS since June, 2014, violated department policy because he wasn't professional or courteous the entire time.
State records show it's Encinia's first job as a law enforcement officer.
Former Cockrell Hill police chief Catherine Smit Torrez says Texas Trooper Brian Encinia made a big mistake when he said "I will light you up."
She says he was unprofessional and confrontational and should have taken a different action when she refused to get out of her car. "I think he should have called for back-up the minute she refused to get out of the car instead of trying to handle it on his own."
The traffic stop escalated to that point, after the trooper asked Bland to put out her cigarette.
Smit-Torrez says the trooper made a simple request officers often make. "That's a common practice officers ask people to put out cigarettes because it's a safety issue. They don't want to be flicked in the eye with the cigarette."
She says police officers are trained on how to de-escalate situations they are in.
And while she says most law enforcement officers do their jobs well, she believes to avoid traffic stops like this, police departments should increase de-escalation training. "I don't think it would hurt for them to require all of their officers to go through another round of that training."
The former chief says to prevent any problems, anyone who is stopped by police should be polite and do as they're told, and file any complaints later.
Bland was in the Waller County Jail, where she was found dead.
The medical examiner says she committed suicide.
But the Waller County District Attorney says he is now handling this as a murder case.
Just last week, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards found Waller County couldn't prove it provided two hours of training to its jailers on how to handle inmates who are mentally challenged or who are potentially suicidal.
The state also cited the jail for not observing inmates once each hour, as required.
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