Dallas police will conduct internal affairs investigations of questionable behavior by other officers that surfaced during the trial of former Officer Amber Guyger, Chief U. Renee Hall said Wednesday.
With a gag order on trial participants lifted after Guyger's sentencing, Hall held a Wednesday evening news conference to respond to the new issues.
"The testimony that came out in this trial is not reflective of the men and women of the Dallas Police Department," Hall said.
The chief was not just speaking about Guyger's conduct but also accusations about Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata, a police sergeant, and officer Martin Rivera, Guyger's former police partner.
Trial evidence showed that Mata spoke with Guyger at the scene of the 2018 shooting and asked another officer to turn off a camera inside a squad car so Mata and Guyger could speak privately.
Critics have claimed it is an example of favoritism shown to Guyger that other citizens would not receive.
During the trial, Rivera said he had destroyed text messages that could have been evidence in the trial.
Critics have claimed it casts doubt on Rivera's testimony in any other police case.
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Hall said both Mata and Rivera are still Dallas Police officers but will be subject to investigations.
"We first must find out what if any of those things have merit and then move forward," Hall said. "If there were any improprieties, we're committed to addressing those and making the necessary change."
Hall said police have no intelligence information about any security threats involving officers or citizens after the high profile trial but she said she is urging officers to be watchful and committed.
"We must double our efforts to continue to build trust," Hall said.
Mata and Rivera could not be reached for comment.
Guyger received a 10 year prison sentence Wednesday from the same jury that convicted her of murder the day before for the September 2018 shooting death of Botham Jean.
Guyger said she thought she was in her own Dallas apartment and Jean was an intruder when she entered his apartment on a different floor of the same building by mistake.
