The race for Williamson County Sheriff should be on everyone’s radar—not just Wilco residents’.
The incumbent, Robert Chody, was recently indicted for felony evidence tampering in the case of Javier Ambler. As you may recall, Wilco cops chased Ambler, who is Black, into Travis County and killed him with multiple tasers. During the arrest Ambler repeatedly stated “I can’t breathe” and “please save me” before dying.
Ambler’s death was recorded by a Live PD reality television crew. Chody solicited Live PD to film in Williamson County and then, according to USA Today, hired troubled officers to play to the camera. Last week, the Statesman released an in-depth study of the rate of police violence in Williamson County since Chody enlisted Live PD. They found that “violent encounters between Williamson County sheriff’s deputies and civilians nearly doubled from 2017, the year before Live PD joined the agency, to 2019, the height of the department’s television fame.”
The Statesman has endorsed Chody’s opponent, Mike Gleason, writing:
“No community can call itself safe when its policing serves egos and image over the public good. We strongly urge voters to oust Chody and elect challenger Mike Gleason as Williamson County sheriff.”
Gleason, a Democrat, is an experienced law enforcement officer. He retired as chief deputy after 24 years in the Williamson County Sheriff’s office—in the same year Chody took office. The Statesman endorsement goes on to say:
“Gleason plans to revamp the chain of command, weeding out unfit supervisors, establishing standards for promotions and ensuring everyone has the right qualifications for their posts. He will work with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement to overhaul the sheriff’s training academy, a facility that was run so unprofessionally under Chody that the police chiefs of Pflugerville, Manor and Buda swore off sending their new recruits there.”
Grab your Wilco friends and family and make sure they are voting for Mike Gleason. Support his campaign at gleason4wilcosheriff.com and make a donation here.
More more information on Javier Ambler, visit justiceforjavierambler.com.
*Chody 2020!