Attorney General Ken Paxton has introduced a new rule that increases the reporting requirements for District and County Attorneys in large counties. The rule applies to those serving in counties with populations over 400,000 and aims to ensure greater accountability and public safety by demanding detailed performance reports to be submitted to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).
The rule mandates transparency by requiring the submission of specific performance reports and grants the OAG access to detailed report information when needed. It also sets out a procedure for dealing with overdue reports and specifies the consequences for any District or County Attorney who intentionally tries to bypass these reporting responsibilities.
"The information collected under the adopted rule will assist citizens in determining whether their local elected officials are inadequately prosecuting certain categories of crime, releasing dangerous criminals back into the community, engaging in selective prosecution, or otherwise failing to uphold their obligations," stated officials involved with the new rule.
Attorney General Paxton emphasized the importance of the rule, saying, "District and County Attorneys have a duty to protect the communities they serve by upholding the law and vigorously prosecuting dangerous criminals. In many major counties, the people responsible for safeguarding millions of Texans have instead endangered lives by refusing to prosecute criminals and allowing violent offenders to terrorize law-abiding Texans. This rule will enable citizens to hold rogue DA's accountable."