Officials with the Travis County Sheriff’s Department defended their policy Tuesday of limiting family visits with Travis County Jail inmates to a for-profit video visitation system, saying that the change in policy was for security reasons and that video visitation is a “best practice” in the criminal justice industry. The presentation was requested by […]
Public Safety
Posted inLocal Government, Local Politics, Public Safety
Commissioners to investigate loss of in-person jail visitation
Several members of the Travis County Commissioners Court say they were caught off guard Tuesday when they were told that in-person family visits at the Travis County Jail have been replaced by a video system. And a majority of commissioners say they are planning to find out why. Representatives of the Texas Civil Rights […]
Posted inLocal Government, Public Safety, Uncategorized
Civil rights groups: Video jail visits too costly, may be violating civil rights
A two-way video conferencing system that has all but replaced in-person visits by friends and family members with those incarcerated at the Travis County Jail is coming under fire as being too expensive, too impersonal and possibly even dangerous to an inmate’s health. Critics are also concerned about the possibility that attorney-client conversations are being […]
Posted inDevelopment, Environment, Local Government, Local Politics, Public Safety
County finds just $4.3 million to buy flood-ravaged homes
Travis County officials say they have searched their budgets, bond programs and possibly even the couch cushions to come up with $4.3 million to buy out damaged and destroyed homes from the Halloween floods. But it will be another week or two before County Commissioners will be get an estimate on just how much […]
Posted inPublic Safety
AFD calls for more rescue boats, improved notification systems
Just more than a month after the Halloween flood devastated parts of Austin and Travis County, Austin Fire Department representatives told the Public Safety Commission Monday that more rescue boats and an improved emergency notification system are needed to better respond to future natural disasters. AFD Chief of Staff Harry Evans stressed that the […]
Posted inLocal Government, Public Safety
County official says damage from Halloween flood likely underestimated
A Travis County official says that estimates of the damage from the Halloween flood may have been “grossly underestimated,” and further examination of the damage could bring the total high enough to trigger federal aid. Travis County Emergency Management Coordinator Pete Baldwin told Travis County Commissioners Tuesday that state and federal officials have further […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Police Monitor’s report suggests profiling, illegal searches
New data released last week by the Office of the Police Monitor show that, based on statistics, some Austin Police officers may be illegally profiling minorities and performing questionable searches of detained individuals. Austin Police Monitor Margo Frasier also said that her recently released reports – covering all of 2012 and the first six […]
Posted inDevelopment, Public Safety
City promises local funding for 115 homes destroyed by flooding
City officials are disputing charges made by an ad hoc relief group last week that funding may not be available to buy out 115 Onion Creek area homes damaged or destroyed in the Halloween floods. However, both City of Austin and Travis County officials say the wheels of government can sometimes move slowly, and […]
Posted inDevelopment, Local Government, Local Politics, Public Safety
City, county to expand home buyouts for flooded areas
The City of Austin and Travis County are both preparing to expand their ongoing programs to buy and demolish the homes of residents who live in flood-prone areas. And with last week’s severe flooding in the Onion Creek 25-year flood plain, both the city and the county say they are stepping up their programs. […]
Posted inLocal Government, Public Safety
Local leaders file disaster declarations in hope of federal assistance
Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe, and Hays County Judge Bert Cobb have each filed local disaster declarations in the wake of massive flooding that struck Central Texas last week. The move could preface action by Texas Gov. Rick Perry that could also lead to a federal disaster declaration. In a […]
Posted inLocal Government, Public Safety, Uncategorized
City, county pour staff and materials into helping flood victims
On Sunday morning, In Fact Daily Editor Jo Clifton accompanied Council Member Laura Morrison on a drive to the flood-damaged Onion Creek Neighborhood. Residents of the hardest hit areas of this Southeast Austin neighborhood continue to sort ruined belongings from what may be salvageable after the devastating flood of Oct. 31. Meanwhile, 50 members […]
Posted inPublic Safety, Uncategorized
Austin, Central Texas to begin recovery from major flood event
People across the Central Texas region woke Thursday morning to a major flood that local officials say will likely go down as a record event. Some parts of South Austin and Hays County received almost 15 inches of rain, sending creeks out of their banks and people out of their homes ahead of the […]