Stories by Emma Freer
City, police union resume labor contract negotiations
The city of Austin and the Austin Police Association returned to the bargaining table Wednesday after a brief hiatus stemming from an impasse on oversight provisions. The city initiated the pause early this month after the police union said it…
Police • By Emma Freer • Dec 16, 2022
City, restaurants partner to reduce single-use plastics
City Council wants the local hospitality industry – including restaurants, bars, food delivery services and the tourism bureau – to curb its reliance on single-use plastics. Council members recently directed staff to incentivize such behavior, including by working with the…
City Council • By Emma Freer • Dec 15, 2022
Community advocates urge city, police union to return to negotiating table
Community advocates on both sides of the police contract negotiations say the city of Austin and the police union should return to the bargaining table. But their motivations and their priorities for a new contract are diametrically opposed. Last week,…
Police • By Emma Freer • Dec 9, 2022
Deadlocked on oversight, city and police union pause contract negotiations
After nearly nine months of negotiation sessions, the city of Austin halted bargaining with the Austin Police Association Thursday, citing disagreement about civilian oversight of police and raising questions about whether the two sides will agree to a new labor…
Police • By Emma Freer • Dec 5, 2022
Legislation restricting open records requests likely to meet opposition
Legislation aimed at redacting personal information from city records subject to the state’s open record law faces an uphill battle at the Texas Capitol. This was the message in a Nov. 8 memo to Austin City Council from city staff.…
City Hall • By Emma Freer • Nov 17, 2022
Police union revisits city’s proposal to expand civilian oversight as clock ticks down
The Austin Police Association will respond later this month to the city’s repeated demands to remove civilian oversight of the police department from the labor contract. In exchange, the union has asked the city to reconsider some of its earlier…
Police • By Emma Freer • Nov 14, 2022
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Community advocates seek to expand police oversight – but not at the bargaining table
After months of negotiation over a new police labor contract, the city and the police union have reached an impasse over the most contentious issues: civilian oversight and pay. As the bargaining teams attempt to forge a path forward, balancing…
Police • By Emma Freer • Nov 3, 2022
Police union rejects city’s proposals to expand civilian oversight, raise pay
With the city of Austin eager to reach an expedited agreement for a new police labor contract that expands civilian oversight, the police union is demanding higher wages for officers – or no deal. Lowell Denton, an outside attorney and…
Police • By Emma Freer • Nov 1, 2022
Ordinance would remove civilian oversight of police from labor contract
The city of Austin laid out its plan for removing the Office of Police Oversight from its labor contract with the Austin Police Association, the union that represents police officers, as well as its aim to reach a new agreement…
Police • By Emma Freer • Oct 24, 2022
Police oversight office advocates for community input in updating police body- and dash-cam policies
The Austin Police Department should incorporate public feedback when developing policies related to body-worn and dashboard cameras, direct officers to alert community members when their interaction is being recorded, investigate potential violations of body-worn and dashboard camera policies, and reconsider…
Police • By Emma Freer • Oct 12, 2022
Crash deaths, injuries on the rise despite Vision Zero interventions
Traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries in the city of Austin have increased in 2022 compared with the five-year average, highlighting the barriers that stand in the way of the city’s Vision Zero goals. The Vision Zero program, which originated in…
Public Safety • By Emma Freer • Oct 6, 2022
City, police union seek a new contract before May election, when oversight is on the ballot
With Austin voters set to vote on whether to expand civilian oversight of the police department in May, the city of Austin and the Austin Police Association reaffirmed their commitment to finalizing a new labor contract before the spring election,…
