A New Texas Law Would Ban Partnerships Between Reality Shows and Police

The Texas House of Representatives has passed a bill inspired by the death of a Killeen native that would ban TV crews from contracting with Texas law enforcement agencies to create reality shows.

KXAN reports that HB54 was approved by the House Thursday with a vote of 110-34. Also known as the Javier Ambler Law, the bill was proposed in response to the death of a Killeen native who died in police custody in March of 2019.

Javier Ambler was driving home that night when police tried to stop him for failure to dim his lights for oncoming traffic. After a 22-minute chase, Ambler's vehicle crashed in Austin, and Williamson County deputies detained him. During the encounter, Amble told the deputies he couldn't breathe and suffered from congestive heart failure.

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Ambler died that night, and the incident was filmed by a crew from A&E's Live PD. At some point, the footage was destroyed, and former Williamson County Sheriff William Chody was later charged with evidence tampering.

The controversy contributed to the cancellation of Live PD in June of 2020.

In March of 2021, two Williamson County Deputies were indicted on manslaughter charges in connection to the case.

The Javier Ambler Law now heads to the Senate for a vote.

Did you watch shows like Live PD, or do you enjoy programs like Lone Star Law on Animal Planet? What do you think about the idea of banning Texas police agencies from contracting with reality TV programs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.