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- How Trump’s federal funding freeze is beginning to affect Austin
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Public Safety
EMS makes progress on billing backlog
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services is chipping away at a billing backlog that started with a demanding learning curve associated with a new patient records system implemented in 2019. Additional billing delays carried over into 2020 as city staffers started…
EMS • By Amy Smith • Nov 16, 2021
Council members pose tough questions about city's storm response
During Wednesday’s City Council Audit & Finance Committee meeting, Chair Alison Alter and fellow committee members Kathie Tovo and Mackenzie Kelly praised city staffers’ heroic efforts as Winter Storm Uri ground the city to a halt in February. But those…
Public Safety • By Jo Clifton • Nov 11, 2021
Council votes to protect rights of intersex children
Austin is one of the first cities in the South Central U.S. to pass a resolution formally condemning non-consensual and medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex children. “There is an ‘I’ in LGBTQIA – it stands for intersex,” Mayor Pro-Tem Natasha…
Public Health • By Jackie Ibarra • Nov 5, 2021
Pflugerville area voters making decisions about EMS service
Travis County commissioners Jeff Travillion and Brigid Shea are urging voters they represent in Pflugerville and its extraterritorial jurisdiction to vote in favor of two propositions on today’s ballot that would expand the geographic boundaries of Travis County Emergency Services…
EMS • By Jo Clifton • Nov 2, 2021
Ingredients for safer Sixth Street include daytime activities, alternate land uses
The city hopes a plan to increase daytime non-drinking activity, promote a variety of land uses and coordinate safety plans with bar owners will lead to a safer atmosphere in the Sixth Street entertainment district. Following a recent report to…
Public Safety • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 27, 2021
Emergency alerts now available in American Sign Language
For the first time, community members who are deaf, hard of hearing or blind will be able to receive accessible emergency notifications. The city of Austin and Travis County launched the Accessible Hazard Alert System, or AHAS, on Oct. 4. The…
Public Safety • By Andrew Logan • Oct 26, 2021
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Council postpones decision on City Marshal Office
Last Thursday, City Council considered the creation of a new municipal court division that would replace its use of sworn Austin Police Department officers. The ordinance would create a City Marshal Office, an agency separate from the Austin Police Department,…
Public Safety • By Kali Bramble • Oct 20, 2021
Chacon gives progress report on making Sixth Street safer
After decades of discussion about the culture and safety of the Sixth Street entertainment district, a team of city staffers from multiple departments is making headway toward carrying out City Council-directed measures to ensure the public’s safety. Council adopted a…
Public Safety • By Amy Smith • Oct 19, 2021
County votes to decommission 48 jail beds
Travis County commissioners unanimously approved a resolution on Oct. 12 to decommission and remove 48 beds from Building 250 in the Travis County Correctional Complex in Del Valle. The building will continue to exist and be operated by the Travis County Sheriff’s…
Public Safety • By Seth Smalley • Oct 19, 2021
APD should follow national best practices on use of force and make guidelines clearer, watchdog says
The Austin Police Department’s policies governing when an officer can and can’t use force don’t align with Austinites’ expectations, according to a new report from the city’s independent police monitor. The Office of Police Oversight collected feedback from 1,400 Austinites on APD’s…
Police • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Oct 14, 2021
Austin moves down to Stage 3 of Covid-19 guidelines as local hospital admissions and cases slow
Lee esta historia en español. Austin Public Health is moving down to Stage 3 of its Covid-19 guidance, as cases and hospitalizations continue to decline. “We’ve had a decline in the number of cases, and we are seeing a gradual…
Public Health • By Jerry Quijano, KUT • Oct 13, 2021
Austin City Council confirms Joseph Chacon as new police chief
Joseph Chacon is Austin’s new police chief, after City Council members confirmed his nomination Thursday night. Chacon has been serving as the city’s interim chief since Brian Manley’s departure from the top job in March. “Thank you for trusting me to do…
