Gov. Greg Abbott says he’s using state police to clear homeless encampments across Austin – including on parks and trails maintained and owned by the city. That was news to Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. Watson said Tuesday that the order from the governor came, partly, as a shock – and it came as Austin was rolling out […]
Public Safety
Posted inFire
Brown, Watson sign wildfire disaster declarations
Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Mayor Kirk Watson held a joint news conference Monday to announce that each had signed disaster declarations related to wildfire risk. “On Friday I signed a disaster declaration,” Brown said. “It will allow Travis County to proactively access resources, streamline emergency coordination (and) reinforce wildfire prevention efforts.” According to […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Austin-San Antonio region selected for climate resilience accelerator
Last week, Travis County announced that the Austin-San Antonio region has been selected for a two-year program to facilitate the region’s climate change resilience efforts. “Government boundaries may define jurisdictions, but they don’t define the lives of our residents — people don’t care who is responsible, they care that we get it done,” said Travis […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Austin launches pilot for 911 response to mental health crises
The city of Austin has begun dispatching a team that includes both mental health experts and police to address mental health emergency calls coming from the downtown area. The Austin Field Integrated Response Support Team, or Austin FIRST, includes an Austin-Travis County EMS paramedic, an Integral Care mental health clinician and an Austin Police officer […]
Posted inPolice
Commission calls for full audit of police training academy
Members of Austin’s Public Safety Commission approved a resolution on Monday calling for a full audit of the progress made on police training academy reforms. In November, 2020, the city hired Kroll Associates to review and evaluate the Austin Police Department (APD) on the extent to which discrimination, racism and bigotry are present in […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Travis County emergency communications pilot yields promising results
After the catastrophic floods in July this year, Travis County officials told reporters that its emergency communications could have been better in terms of getting information to residents, many of whom felt abandoned and left to recover with only the help of their neighbors. Improvements to disaster communications were already in the works before the […]
Posted inEMS
Public safety agencies team up to help those in crisis
The city of Austin will begin a pilot program next month that will deploy a multi – disciplinary team to deal with mental health related problems within the downtown area. The team will include professionals from Austin, Travis County EMS, the Austin Police Department (APD) and Integral Care. As Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mark Escott […]
Posted inFire
After heated talks, Austin, firefighters reach a deal on a four-year labor contract
The Austin firefighters union has agreed to an 11th-hour deal on a new labor contract with the city. The agreement late Friday ends a weekslong stalemate after the Austin Firefighters Association rejected of a proposal that it said wouldn’t substantially increase wages for its personnel. The AFA agreed to a deal that would raise wages by at […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Austin drops AI surveillance cameras from consideration as residents raise privacy concerns
The city of Austin is no longer considering using artificial intelligence to help catch people breaking into cars and committing other crimes at parks and greenbelts, at least for the time being. Dozens of incidents, including car break-ins and stolen valuables, are reported at popular green spaces each year. Earlier this year, the city stepped […]
Posted inPublic Health
Travis County increases investment in harm reduction
One of Travis County’s most consistent investments over the last few years has been toward mitigating the opioid overdose crisis, partially funded by a national settlement with the drug companies that helped cause the crisis. In November of last year, the county invested $400,000 of those funds into harm reduction services, and on Tuesday, they […]
Posted inPolice
Austin police canceled a shelter-in-place order while a shooter was on the loose
People in parts of Austin were told Wednesday morning just after 6:30 that a man who shot a police officer and another person near Zilker Park was no longer a threat. But, he was. The man was still at-large just outside an elementary school – armed and on the run from police. The Austin Police […]
Posted inUncategorized
200 have drowned in Austin’s Lady Bird Lake since 2004. A serial killer isn’t to blame, study says.
A new study released this week aims to put a stop to the rumors swirling about a potential serial killer in Austin. Researchers from Texas State University in collaboration with the Austin Police Department found no evidence of a serial murderer during a review of nearly 200 cases. While the idea of a Rainey Street […]