Texas county approves $1.8M settlement in Sandra Bland suit

Leaders of a Texas county Wednesday approved a $1.8 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Sandra Bland, who died in jail days after being arrested last year.

An overall $1.9 million settlement was disclosed by Bland family attorneys last week although the Texas Department of Public Safety, also a defendant in the suit, previously said it has not settled litigation and is not a party to the mediated agreement involving Waller County, about 50 miles northwest of Houston. Bland’s lawyers have said the police agency would account for the remaining $100,000, but DPS officials Tuesday would not confirm that nearly 4,000 troopers will receive de-escalation training despite an attorney for Bland’s family saying the state agreed that would be part of a settlement.

“Waller County administrators have learned a great deal through this process and the county will be increasing the training and education of jail employees in respect to mental health assessments in jail and improving our policies and processes,” said Waller County Judge Carbett “Trey” Duhon III, the county’s chief administrator.

Authorities have said Bland, 28, who was from the Chicago area, killed herself in a county jail cell in Hempstead three days after being stopped by a white Texas trooper for a minor traffic offense that escalated into a contentious arrest.