Texas state Trooper Brian Encinia’s arrest of Sandra Bland, which was recorded on a police dashboard camera, apparently was not the first time Encinia lost his cool on the job.
The Associated Press, which obtained his personnel file from the Texas Department of Public Safety through a Freedom of Information Act request, reports that he was cautioned about “unprofessional conduct” in connection with an incident in 2014 at a school while he was still a probationary trooper.
“In the future, Trooper Encinia should conduct himself at all times in a manner that will reflect well upon himself, the Department, and the State of Texas,” the evaluation states. “This supervisor will ensure that this is done by meeting periodically with Trooper Encinia.”
But last month he was roundly condemned for his behavior during an encounter with Bland, 28, of Chicago, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting Encinia and was subesquently found dead in her Waller County jail cell in Hempstead, about 200 miles south of Dallas. Bland’s death, which officials called a suicide, came on July 13, nearly three days after her arrest, and her family and others have criticized Encinia’s aggressive behavior after he stopped Bland for failing to signal a lane change.
The file did not contain information about the trooper’s interaction with Bland, which is still being investigated. But Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, has said that Encinia violated internal policies of professionalism and courtesy.
Encinia has been with the department for about a year. The file shows that overall, he has received “competent” ratings in all of the evaluations that were released, AP reports.
Read more at the Associated Press.