The city of Austin approved a $850,000 settlement to resolve a lawsuit over the Austin Police Department’s use of so-called less lethal ammunition during the 2020 racial justice protests. Maredith Drake, a street medic during protests outside police headquarters, was shot with a “beanbag” filled with lead pellets while trying to help a demonstrator who’d […]
Public Safety
Posted inPolice
City, police union negotiate new labor contract after eventful five years
The city of Austin and the Austin Police Association met for their sixth day of negotiations Monday as they work toward a new labor contract. The city’s bargaining team proposed changes to the contract’s drug-testing and promotion provisions, citing recommendations from a January 2022 report by a consulting firm hired to review the Austin Police Department. […]
Posted inEMS
Commission urges city to raise EMS pay
The Public Safety Commission approved a broad resolution Monday calling on the city to raise its offer to the Austin EMS union to pay salaries comparable to what other EMS agencies are paying. EMS salaries should be equivalent to what the city is paying firefighters and police officers and what is offered in the private […]
Posted inEMS
New EMS chief outlines progress on collections
With a projected budget deficit by Fiscal Year 2027, any news about increasing collections from those who owe the city of Austin money, including the state of Texas, is good news for City Council. Robert Luckritz, who recently joined the city as chief of Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, brought some of that good news […]
Posted inPublic Health
Early April is for respecting public health, county decrees
In a retroactive move that was unanimously approved last Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court proclaimed the week of April 4 Public Health Week. According to the American Public Health Association, the first week of April each year is National Public Health Week, a time to focus on community health and the contributions of those […]
Posted inEMS
EMS union, city at odds over pay
Twenty-six Emergency Medical Services employees have quit their city jobs so far this year, and according to Austin-Travis County EMS Association President Selena Xie, that’s double the number of separations in 2020 and 2021. She added that, in all of 2019, before the pandemic, 28 medics left the city. She blames required overtime and low […]
Posted inPolice
Austin faces another round of lawsuits related to police use of ‘less lethal’ rounds
Three more demonstrators are suing the Austin Police Department for injuries sustained from so-called less-lethal ammunition fired by police over a weekend of racial justice protests in 2020. More than a dozen protesters have sued the department for use of the ammunition, which include either foam rounds fired from a 40 mm launcher or bags filled with lead pellets […]
Posted inPolice
Chacon pledges more diverse police force
Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon told members of the Public Safety Commission Monday that his department has signed the 30 by 30 pledge, a national initiative that agrees to diversify the police force by 2030. APD is one of 40 law enforcement agencies that have signed the pledge. Overall, Chacon said, just 11 percent of […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Travis County explores impact of legal representation during intake process
Travis County and Texas A&M are teaming up to administer a pilot study that will examine the effects of providing arrestees with legal counsel at first appearance. On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court received an update on the upcoming grant-funded pilot program, a partnership with the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M and […]
Posted inPublic Safety
No clear path forward for medical marijuana use by public safety employees
Now that medical marijuana is legal in Texas, will Austin allow its first responders to use it? A Monday afternoon briefing at City Council’s Public Safety Committee meeting showed that the hurdle, for once, does not come from the state government, but from federal regulations. Thanks to House Bill 1535, Texas now allows registered physicians […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin Public Health to use new Covid-19 risk charts to align with CDC
Austin Public Health is updating its Covid-19 risk guidelines to coincide with new metrics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Previously, APH had been using a five-level scale to showcase Covid-19 risk, with Stage 5 being the highest risk level and Stage 1 being the lowest. Each level carried with it a different […]
Posted inPublic Health
Community leaders release ‘red flags’ report on Central Health
Leaders of the NAACP Austin and Texas League of United Latin American Citizens District VII released a scathing report Wednesday on Central Health’s financial and operational activities. The organizations called on the Travis County Commissioners Court to order a “comprehensive, independent, third-party performance audit” of the agency. Frank Ortega, director of the LULAC district, and […]