05/26/2014 // West Palm Beach, Florida, US // JusticeNewsFlash // Justice News Flash // (press release)
Austin – Austin officials say that a new police policy has led to an increase in strangulation charges filed in the city. As reported by the Austin American Statesman, since the implementation of the policy in July, there has been a 29 percent increase in strangulation cases filed.
Data obtained in the nine months since new forms that provide more detail about strangulation injuries have been used by Austin police show there was a significant increase from the previous nine months.
A strangulation charge is a relatively new offense in the state of Texas as noted in the report. It went into effect in 2009, and is a third-degree felony that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Detective Pamela McBee, a five-year veteran of the Austin Police Department’s domestic violence unit, is quoted as stating of these types of cases, “Strangulation cases went unnoticed a lot due to the fact that we did have a lot where there weren’t any signs of visible injury.”
Every detective and new cadet in Austin is now reportedly trained to recognize symptoms of individuals who have been strangled.
This report is provided by Justice News Flash – Texas Legal News
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