Gov. Greg Abbott appointed an Austin police officer, who is among the more than a dozen indicted for excessive force in connection with the May 2020 racial injustice protests that occurred in the Texas state capital, to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) on Friday, Austin-based media outlets reported.
Justin Berry is one of the 19 officers the Travis County District Attorney's Office indicted in February, as well was as a Republican candidate for the Texas House of Representatives.
According to Austin FOX affiliate KTBC, Berry will sit on the TCOLE through Aug. 30, 2027.
The purpose of the TCOLE, according to its website, “is to establish and enforce standards to ensure that the people of Texas are served by highly trained and ethical law enforcement, corrections and telecommunications personnel.”
Berry lost to former Austin City Councilmember Ellen Troxclair in the May runoff for the GOP nod for the Texas House of Representatives District 19, which includes the Hill Country cities of Fredericksburg, Boerne and Burnet.
According to Austin NBC affiliate KXAN, Berry thanked the governor, who’s also a Republican, for the appointment on Twitter.
“The demands and expectations of today’s professional police officer have never been so great,” Berry’s tweet read. “I look forward to ensuring Texas has the best police officers in the world.”
Austin Journal reported in March that Berry’s now-defunct campaign for the state House earned an endorsement from Abbott.
Citing Austin ABC affiliate KVUE, the publication reported that Berry denies any wrongdoing during the protests that arose from the deaths of George Floyd and Michael Ramos in that same year.
The law enforcement veteran asserts that Travis County District Attorney (DA) José Garza is using his position to influence his campaign.
KTBC reported that the TCOLE is a nine-member body consisting of three laypeople, three law enforcement chief executive officers and three line personnel from law enforcement agencies.
Abbott’s other appointee to the commission was Houston-area school board president Martina Lemond Dixon, according to the station.