No criminal charges will be filed from last month’s report of racial slurs that were directed at a group of Dallas high school students and their counselors while on a tour of Texas A&M.
University police issued a statement that the Brazos County Attorney’s office would not prosecute the case unless additional incriminating information was uncovered and formally presented.
One student and one counselor from Uplift Hampton Preparatory school provided details to officers of the February 9th incident outside of Walton Hall.
Chief Mike Ragan noted there were opportunities for improvement how UPD initially responded. Ragan said additional training has been among the steps he says will help ensure such information is handled more appropriately in the future.
Anyone with information not previously reported is asked to contact A&M police.
The UPD news release did not state if the university issued disciplinary action against any students.
A&M president Michael Young, in a statement issued on the university’s website, wrote one student is no longer associated with the school.
Young also noted that no one has provided A&M with a video of the incident. He has asked UPD “to review and reopen the investigation as appropriate if additional information is brought to our attention.”
The president said A&M’s STOPHATE desktop website will have a mobile platform in April to allow more timely reporting of racial incidents.
And Young announced new students will be required to attend cultural competency training starting this summer.
News release from Texas A&M:
On Feb. 9 at approximately 2:20 p.m., the Texas A&M University Police Department (TAMU PD) was contacted regarding reported racial slurs that were made to a group of prospective students and their counselors from Uplift Hampton Preparatory school in Dallas, while walking on the south side of Walton Hall. Responding officers met with the reporting party, and a counselor with the students, who provided details about the incident.
The case was thoroughly investigated by a team of TAMU PD personnel. The information obtained in the investigation was presented on Feb. 28 to the Brazos County Attorney’s Office for review and possible action.
TAMU PD received notification from the Brazos County Attorney’s Office on Feb. 29 that the case would not be prosecuted unless additional incriminating information was uncovered and formally presented.
In response to questions and concerns regarding the initial police response, Police Chief Mike Ragan identified several commendable areas of the UPD response, as well as opportunities for improvement regarding how the initial call to report the incident was handled by his department. As a result, appropriate steps, including additional training, have been taken to help ensure such information is handled more appropriately in the future.
While the investigation is closed, at least at the present time, based on the information TAMU PD has been able to obtain, anyone with information not previously reported regarding this incident is asked to contact the TAMU PD at (979) 845-2345.