State police to supplement APD officers amid ongoing staffing problems

The city has entered into a partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety to supplement the Austin Police Department amid its ongoing staffing shortage and a public perception that the city has too few police officers.

The partnership was announced Monday, a few days after Mayor Kirk Watson and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick discussed the city’s safety and police issues during a meeting on Friday. Watson, who cited APD’s “unprecedented challenges in staffing levels” as the main cause for reaching out to the state, said duties such as assisting with traffic control and crashes as well as some violent crimes would allow Austin police to better handle ongoing case work and other components of their jobs.

“I also want to be sure that our police officers feel respected and have the resources they need to do their job. This is a recognition that the police department needs more staff, and we have a partner that can assist us,” he said. “This partnership will improve safety and provide a runway as we recruit more officers and work to retain those currently on the force.”

The state has worked with Austin police repeatedly throughout the years, including assisting with stopping and solving the rash of street takeovers by street racing groups in February. The partnership will not cost the city anything.

Police Chief Joseph Chacon said Austin police will remain the primary overseers of the city’s public safety, with the state assisting when extra personnel are needed. He said data and crime analysis will be used to create the proper deployment strategy, with a substantial increase in state police presence expected in the coming days.

“We still want Austin police officers responding to the vast majority of calls that go into 911 for the things that we see all the time. What I anticipate DPS is supporting … bringing in some teams that are going to be able to look at where are we seeing the crime occurring, addressing the crime. Generally this is going to be violent crime, but it’s also going to be related to traffic-related enforcement and traffic deaths in more of a supportive role and not necessarily responding to that 911 call.”

A recent poll conducted by Notley and the Austin Monitor asked more than 400 respondents about their perceptions and opinions regarding public safety, with 33 percent responding they don’t feel safe and 50 percent responding that they feel safe.

When asked about the appropriateness of police staffing levels, 53 percent of respondents said the city has too few officers. “Too many” officers received 15 percent, while 31 percent felt APD was adequately staffed.

Council Member Mackenzie Kelly said the perception around public safety – including response times for 911 calls – is one of the primary factors to consider when looking at how long the state could be used to assist the police department.

“I’ve spoken to police officers who don’t think we’ll be back to the staffing levels we need for five to seven years, and that’s a conservative estimate. Our police department was decimated in 2020 when our City Council removed the 150 vacant positions and stopped the cadet academy, so it’s going to take some time for the city to get where we need to be.”

Kelly, who is on Council’s Public Safety Committee, said she’d like to see quarterly updates about the progress being made between the two departments.

“There is something positive to be said about the city of Austin collaborating with the Texas Department of Public Safety, since it’s not something we’ve needed with previous administrators of the city or previous iterations of City Council,” she said. “It’s better than the alternative of waiting for more bad things to happen before the state becomes involved.”

Council Member Chito Vela, who pushed the city to reach a one-year extension of the police contract in recent labor negotiations, praised the city for working with the state.

“I appreciate the help from DPS and am happy to see friendly cooperation between Austin and the state of Texas. Thank you to interim City Manager (Jesús) Garza and Mayor Watson for negotiating this agreement. I hope we can pursue an equally collaborative and productive relationship with the state in other policy areas.”

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