Austin’s public safety agencies are not as diverse as the city they serve, according to a presentation by police, fire and EMS officials at a meeting of the Public Safety Commission last week. “We need to show we do have diverse individuals in the fire department,” said Assistant Chief Richard Davis to the commission. “In […]
Public Safety
Posted inPolice, Public Safety, Uncategorized
The sad state of DNA testing in sexual assault cases
It might take a while for Austin to clear its backlog of more than 600 batches of DNA evidence related to sexual assaults. Austin Police Department Chief of Staff Brian Manley told members of the Public Safety Commission on Tuesday that he could not say how long it will take for the DNA evidence to […]
Posted inPublic Health, Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: Austin/Travis County Sobriety Center
Attorney and former Travis County Democratic Party Chair Andy Brown talks with Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin about the Austin/Travis County Sobriety Center. Audio is embedded below: [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/291788450″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Posted inPolice
Austin Police Department looks to Dallas County to ease DNA backlog
City Council members today will consider contracting with a Dallas County forensic lab to process evidence in at least 600 sexual assault cases. The contract, funded with money out of the Austin Police Department budget, totals $1.6 million for a 12-month period with the option to extend. “This is going to be the most important […]
Posted inPolice
How the Travis County DA’s race could affect police use-of-force cases
One race tucked into the crowded ballots that Travis County voters are seeing this election could have a substantial effect on police use-of-force cases. From the death of Eric Garner in New York to the death of David Joseph here in Austin, the majority of these cases share a coda: Local prosecutors fail to bring […]
Posted inPolice
Chief addresses complaints, demotions
Austin Police Department Chief Art Acevedo on Wednesday strongly defended his decision to suspend and demote two supervisors for failing to appropriately investigate two high-profile use-of-force complaints. He also scoffed at Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday’s call for him to step down as chief, noting that the APA has “never seen” a discipline they […]
Posted inPolice
Commission deadlocks on new police proposal for impounding cars
The Public Safety Commission deadlocked on a proposal to expand the Austin Police Department’s ability to impound a car when the driver does not have a driver’s license. The proposed ordinance, put forth by the Austin Police Department, would allow police to tow and impound a car that has been involved in a crash if […]
Posted inPolice
Austin and Travis County officials talk sobriety center plans
People picked up in Austin for public intoxication downtown might no longer be headed straight to jail or the emergency room. Austin and Travis County leaders are moving forward with plans to open a sobriety center. The downtown facility would serve as a safe space for people to sober up. After years of discussion, both […]
Posted inPolice
Audit points out flaws in APD complaint process
The process for handling complaints against Austin police officers is difficult to use, and even high-profile incidents involving an officer’s use of force – such as the widely covered incident involving an Austin teacher – have not always made it onto the Austin Police Department’s database, according to an audit from the Office of the […]
Posted inPolice
Police body cam footage remains touchy subject as court case awaits
While the implementation of a planned deployment of body cameras on Austin Police Department officers is on hold until at least late November, city leaders and public accountability advocates are still working out the issue of how the city will decide when to release video footage from those cameras for public review. At issue are two […]
Posted inPublic Health
Court faces more pressure over Central Health transparency concerns
Activists have turned up the heat on the Travis County Commissioners Court to take a closer look at millions of dollars paid out by the county’s health district in the last two years. Attorney Fred Lewis sent out on Monday afternoon a detailed report that castigates Central Health for not adequately producing accountable proof that […]
Posted inPolice
Public Safety Commission calls for $5.6M to clear DNA backlog
The Public Safety Commission upped the ante Tuesday, calling for an additional $5.6 million to tackle a backlog of DNA cases that continue to accumulate while the city’s lab remains shuttered. With a week left to pass the city’s budget, City Council is already considering an additional $1.9 million to hire seven analysts and outsource […]