San Marcos City Council passed a landmark ordinance Tuesday codifying the first Civil Law in Texas to guide police officers on when to issue citations rather than make arrests.
San Antonio and Austin have made resolutions that express support for practicing the 2007 State Cite and Release policy but none go so far as an ordinance.
City council was prepared to postpone the vote in light of San Marcos Police Officer Justin Putnam's death on Saturday but Public Safety Director Chase Stapp didn’t feel a need to delay. After consulting with San Marcos Police Department Interim Chief Bob Klett and San Marcos Police Officers Association (SMPOA) President Jesse Savaadra, Stapp said, “When a tragedy like this happens, our officers aren’t able to postpone the difficult decisions they make on a daily basis, so they would like to get the guidance from council whatever that may be.”
