The city of Austin has proposed changes to its labor contract with the Austin Police Association that its bargaining team said would improve the transparency of administrative investigations and other disciplinary decisions involving police officers. The police union’s bargaining team pushed back, saying the changes were too broad and infringed upon officers’ rights to due […]
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Police union proposes pay raises of up to 20% as part of contract negotiation
The Austin Police Association has proposed raises of up to 20 percent over four years as part of its ongoing labor contract negotiation with the city, citing the police department’s long-standing staffing shortages as well as rising housing costs and inflation. Officer Travis Vonholt, a five-year department veteran who serves on the APA Board of […]
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APD pushes for return of license plate readers, nixed during 2020 police budget cuts
The Austin Police Department advocated for the reinstatement of automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, during a May 23 presentation to the city’s Public Safety Committee, reigniting long-standing concerns about privacy and data sharing among law enforcement agencies. City Council canceled APD’s license plate reader contracts during the 2020-21 budget process, which reduced the department’s […]
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APD making headway toward academy reforms, but still a work in progress
The Austin Police Department is well on its way toward implementing recommended changes to its training academy, according to a presentation Monday from consulting firm Kroll Associates. APD has enacted nearly all of the short-term recommendations and just under half of the long-term recommendations outlined in Kroll’s April 2021 report on the academy’s teaching methods, […]
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Austin OKs $850,000 settlement for volunteer medic shot with ‘less-lethal’ ammunition during protest
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 […]
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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. […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Another demonstrator is suing Austin and an APD officer after being shot with a beanbag round
Austin is being sued in civil court by another demonstrator who was struck by so-called “less-lethal” rounds during protests over police violence and racial justice in 2020. On Tuesday, Bomani Barton filed a civil suit against the city and the Austin police officer he claims shot him three times with beanbag rounds on May 30, […]
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Austin OKs $2.95 million settlement for Brad Levi Ayala, teen injured by police at 2020 protests
Austin City Council agreed to pay Brad Levi Ayala $2.95 million for injuries suffered after being shot by an APD officer on May 30, 2020. Ayala, who was 16 at the time, suffered brain trauma as a result of the shooting. Nicholas Gebhart, a nine-year veteran with the department, has been indicted for the shooting. […]
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Here’s what we know about APD officers facing charges for using beanbag rounds in 2020 protests
Nineteen Austin police officers face criminal charges for the use of so-called “less lethal” ammunition on demonstrators during racial justice protests in 2020. Police use of the lead-pellet bags, which were fired from shotguns, severely injured protesters, at least 19 of whom were hospitalized. The officers have been indicted on charges of aggravated assault by […]
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DA says grand jury indicting ‘multiple’ Austin police officers for injuries during 2020 protests
A Travis County grand jury is expected to indict “multiple” Austin police officers accused of injuring people during the 2020 protests following the killing of George Floyd. In announcing the indictments, Travis County District Attorney José Garza said “multiple indictments will be forthcoming in the days ahead,” but did not specify how many. The Austin American-Statesman reports 19 […]