Texas Governor Greg Abbott is renewing his push for a statewide prosecutor to address repeat offenders, citing the case of Octavius Brown, an Austin man with roughly 30 cases since 2013. Brown was recently accused of breaking into three West Campus apartments, exposing himself to residents, and strangling a woman in one case.

Public Safety Agenda

Abbott shared a post from Austin Justice about Brown’s case, highlighting the need for a new State Prosecutor position filled by someone who will actually prosecute criminals. The governor’s proposal includes a statewide prosecutor, expanded bail restrictions, district attorney impeachment, and expansion of the Texas Repeat Offender Task Force.

Abbott has pushed the idea of a statewide prosecutor since last year, as previously reported. The governor wants Texas to create a prosecutor who could intervene when local district attorneys fail to act in certain criminal cases. CBS Austin reported that Abbott’s proposed statewide prosecutor would need Texas Senate confirmation and would step in when a district attorney fails to indict a violent criminal in a timely manner.

Abbott also wants lawmakers to give the Legislature power to impeach what he calls “rogue” district attorneys. The proposal would add another accountability tool for prosecutors who Abbott says refuse to do their jobs.

The governor’s proposal also includes denying bail to illegal immigrants accused of felony offenses. Abbott said, “Somebody who’s here illegally is a greater flight risk than somebody else. And by being arrested for a felony, they’ve already proven that they are an endangerment to our community.”

Texas Repeat Offender Task Force

The task force, which targets suspects who repeatedly cycle through the criminal justice system, has expanded into Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio. Abbott’s office said the effort had led to 728 arrests, including 455 high-threat offenders, after launching in Houston in October.

Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.