Austin Police Department Training Academy attrition remains high amid reforms

An Austin Police Department audit revealed high attrition rates among recent cadet classes amid ongoing reforms and persistent staffing shortages. 

Police leadership reported the inaugural audit’s findings – based on the 147th cadet class, which graduated in May – to the city’s Public Safety Committee on Monday. 

Under internal audit protocols developed by Kroll Associates in March 2022, the department is required to report to City Council the progress of each class and of ongoing academy reforms. District 10 Council Member Alison Alter chided police leadership in June for not yet having taken up this mantle. 

The 147th class began with 55 cadets and graduated 33, for an attrition rate of 40 percent, Assistant Chief Jason Staniszewski told committee members. He cited the top reasons for attrition as personal issues (such as transportation and child care needs) and cadets’ inability to meet academic, physical fitness and “character and integrity” standards. 

An audit of the 148th class, which is due to graduate in early September, is forthcoming. Meanwhile, the 149th class, which will graduate in December, began with 34 cadets and now is down to 19. The 150th class, which also began with 34 cadets, is down to 30. 

“Unfortunately, for the last couple of classes, (attrition) has been unusually high – higher than we certainly want,” Staniszewski said.

Commander Wade Lyons, who oversees the training division, said the department has made changes to reverse this trend, including:

• Instituting a buffer zone to accommodate cadets who don’t meet the physical fitness standards on their first try;
• Enacting a performance accountability program, which he said teaches cadets “that the actions of one affect the whole”; and
• Amending the basic peace officer course schedule to reflect state recommendations. 

Kroll Managing Director Dan Linskey suggested additional changes, including scheduling mandatory ride-alongs earlier in the training cycle – as it tends to be a deciding moment for many cadets – and providing mentorship and educational support during the recruiting process. 

But he also acknowledged that these issues are not unique to Austin.

“Working with police departments around the country, recruiting and retention is a huge challenge, and we’re seeing that not as many candidates are interested in a 25-year commitment to the same career, in the same department,” he said. 

Beyond attrition, police leadership highlighted several other training academy reforms either enacted or underway during the 147th class, as previously recommended by Kroll across several reports. 

For instance, the cadets took courses taught by or in partnership with outside experts from the University of Texas, Huston-Tillotson University, Austin Community College and other institutions. They participated in “community-focused activities” led by representatives from the Sobering Center, Community First! Village and SAFE Alliance, among others. And they received training on systemic and institutional racism, de-escalation techniques and trauma-informed crisis intervention. 

Leadership said additional reforms – including mandatory, departmentwide active bystander training and changes to the mentorship program and beleaguered curriculum review process – are in the works. 

Still, Mark Ehlers, another Kroll managing director, said the training academy has yet to make progress on other fronts. These include Kroll’s recommendations that it develop a process to evaluate instructors and a library of video training materials for outside review. He also mentioned the outstanding problem of resistance from sworn officers to civilian leaders and the recent loss of one such leader, Training Academy Division Manager Anne Kringen. 

Alter expressed optimism for such progress, citing the proposed Fiscal Year 2023-24 city budget, which includes funding for 11 new civilian positions within the police department to implement Kroll recommendations regarding the academy. 

Photo by Allen Kieke made available through a Creative Commons license, via Wikimedia Commons.

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