Austin’s 911 call center had about 200 calls on hold for hours on end New Year’s Eve and into the next morning. People waiting for emergency assistance were unable to get help. Those who hung up were bumped to the back of the line. “Nobody has ever seen that happen at our call center,” said […]
Public Safety
Posted inPublic Safety
County nixes license plate surveillance cameras on public land
A minor debate flared up at Tuesday’s Travis County Commissioners Court meeting about installing Flock, a license plate surveillance system, on public lands in the county – specifically Rob Roy, a private residential neighborhood in Austin. Members of the homeowners association of Rob Roy on the Creek requested that six automatic license plate reading cameras […]
Posted inFire
Pflugerville FD, city residents raise alarm about tax rate petition
Officials from the Pflugerville Fire Department and city residents fired back against an initiative petition they say would slash the department’s budget and force layoffs if approved by voters. “Without that revenue, we would not be able to maintain and sustain our current operations,” Pflugerville Fire Chief Nick Perkins told the Austin Monitor Wednesday. “So, we’re […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Public Safety Commission raises questions about proposed tow fee increases
The city’s Public Safety Commission wants more information before recommending an updated non-consent towing fee schedule for the Austin Police Department. Commissioners voted to recommend City Council reject the study and send it back for additional work. The item went before the commission at its Jan. 9 regular meeting. A non-consent tow includes police impound, […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Pets, plants, pipes and more: How to prepare for this week’s freeze
The Austin area is in for a cold holiday weekend. Temperatures will start dropping on Thursday afternoon into the teens and stay there until Saturday, at least. As the state prepares for this severe weather event, you should prepare, too. Is your emergency bag ready? Austin emergency officials recommend having an emergency supply kit ready to […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Fire risk is heightened during holiday season
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are peak days for home fires and injuries from inattentive cooking, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Travis County’s fire marshal’s office, the U.S. Fire Administration and NFPA are partnering up for the holidays to spread information about fire safety and fire hazards. Other causes of home fires over […]
Posted inPolice
Judge denies motions to dismiss in Mike Ramos civil suit
In a Sunday ruling denying qualified immunity to the Austin police officer who fatally shot Mike Ramos, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman sharply criticized the city’s handling of excessive force incidents. The ruling stems from the civil suit filed against APD officer Christopher Taylor and the city of Austin by Brenda Ramos, whose son was […]
Posted inPublic Health
Audit shows flaws in city’s plans for cold weather shelters
An audit presented to the City Council Audit & Finance committee last week says the city is not keeping up with planning for cold weather shelters and that city staff have not received sufficient training in dealing with people seeking shelter during extreme cold. In addition, the city does not appear to be consistently following […]
Posted inPublic Health
Downtown Alliance praises ‘transformation’ of ARCH under new management
Just months after the management switch-up at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, the Downtown Austin Alliance is praising what it calls “transformational change” at the downtown men’s shelter. The alliance’s safety and hospitality committee toured the facility in early December to learn about recent improvements made by Urban Alchemy, the California-based nonprofit now in […]
Posted inPolice
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 wouldn’t consider removing the Office of Police Oversight from the contract, raising questions about whether […]
Posted inEMS
EMS chief reports improvement in collections
Although Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services continues to deal with a backlog of unpaid bills for emergency transport, Chief Robert Luckritz says the department has made significant improvements in its billing and collections process. As a result, Luckritz told the City Council Audit & Finance Committee Tuesday he expects to clear the backlog by mid-2023. According […]
Posted inPolice
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, the city halted bargaining with the Austin Police Association, citing the union’s refusal to consider removing […]