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Texans for Accountable Government

Stop Vampire Cops!

Through perseverance and hard work Texans for Accountable Government (TAG) have successfully passed a resolution in the Austin City Council to prevent police administered blood draws. Police Chief Art Acevedo had planned to accept Federal Grant money to train his DWI task force to draw blood from motorists suspected of driving while under the influence.

KXAN first reported Acevedo’s “No Refusal” policy on June 30th, 2008. During a “No Refusal” weekend if you refuse a breathalyzer Police Officers can obtain a search warrant to draw your blood, forcibly if necessary. Acevedo stated that, “My intent in the future is to make it so there is no such thing as a refusal. You can refuse all you want, but we are going to aggressively seek search warrants.”

On March 30th 2009, Texans for Accountable Government sponsored a public forum on Police Blood Draws at City Hall with a panel which included; Police Chief Art Acevedo, City Council Member Mike Martinez, The ACLU’s Debbie Russell, MADD representative Karen Housewright, and Texans for Accountable Government Executive Director John Bush. Hundreds of people packed the council chambers, leaving standing room only, and voiced overwhelming opposition to that invasion practice.

While we were able to successfully have the Austin City Council pass a resolution, it was far cry from our original resolution which would have put an end to “No Refusal” weekends as well. However, we are not yet satisfied and we’re dedicated to stopping “No Refusal” weekends.