Lee esta historia en español. Video footage released Monday of the shooting of Mike Ramos shows the 42-year-old pleading with Austin police officers to put their guns down, telling them he doesn’t have a weapon and that they are scaring him. APD Officer Christopher Taylor shot and killed Ramos, who was Black and Hispanic, in […]
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Report recommends major changes to 911 procedures
Last week, City Council’s Public Safety Committee heard a presentation on a report from AH Datalytics, paid for by the Austin Justice Coalition, assessing the Austin Police Department’s 911 calls for service. Overall, the report asserts that many of the calls APD receives could be handled by an alternative resource. According to the report, only 21 […]
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Austin delays releasing video of protester injuries, saying it would affect investigation
The Austin Police Department says it will delay the release of body camera footage from officers who caused serious injuries to demonstrators during the first weekend of protests against police killings and systemic racism in Austin. “In consultation with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, the videos related to the critical incidents from the recent […]
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Commission wants more detail and authority behind police oversight findings
The Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities has signed on to a resolution passed by the Human Rights Commission that asks the Austin Police Department to investigate all complaints recommended for investigation by the Office of Police Oversight. The committee voted unanimously and without comment to endorse the resolution, which was approved last month. It […]
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Austin police identify officers under investigation for injuring protesters during demonstrations
The Austin Police Department has named five officers it says may be responsible for seriously injuring people demonstrating during the first weekend of protests against systemic racism and police violence. The following officers have been put on paid administrative leave, as is APD policy, while the incidents are under investigation: Nicholas Gebhart, 7.5 years with […]
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City to give group auditing APD training materials more time
The next Austin Police Department cadet class is on hold indefinitely, City Manager Spencer Cronk reiterated Thursday during the Public Safety Committee meeting. The department will not proceed with the new cadet class, which it had hoped to begin in July, until an audit of APD’s training procedures can be completed. “We are delaying the […]
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College Student Commission recommends reallocating $30M from APD budget to fund minority scholarships
The College Student Commission passed a recommendation Monday asking City Council to reallocate at least $30 million from the Austin Police Department budget to college scholarships for low-income and racial minority students in Austin. The recommendation calls for APD Chief Brian Manley to resign from his position if he fails to fire and bring charges […]
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Austin Police Chief Brian Manley will keep his job, city says, despite calls for his removal
Austin Police Chief Brian Manley will stay in his position, a city spokesperson confirmed in an email Thursday. “I have had very pointed conversations with Chief Manley over the last several weeks,” City Manager Spencer Cronk said in the email. “He has assured me he is sincerely committed to making the reforms necessary.” Local activists […]
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Downtown Commission to keep closer watch on downtown policing
Whatever actions City Council takes to address the Austin Police Department’s response to racial justice protests, the Downtown Commission has voted to keep closer tabs on downtown policing efforts going forward. The commission approved two proposals from Commissioner Meghan Skornia. The first requests monthly race-specific reports from APD on use of force, police-involved shootings and […]
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Austinites recount police violence during weekend protests, demand cuts to APD budget
The Austin City Council heard from hundreds of people during an emergency meeting Thursday that addressed police violence at weekend protests against the killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Mike Ramos in Austin. Council has been holding its meetings remotely, via video chat, so speakers called in. Some demanded the city slash the police […]
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APD community engagement audit finds some improvement but data lacking
Although the Austin Police Department has put considerable effort into improving its community policing efforts over the past four years and there have been some positive impacts, an audit by the Office of the City Auditor concluded there was insufficient data to determine how effective those efforts might be. A subsequent survey found that APD […]
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Austin police confirm what activists believed: Man killed in officer shooting was unarmed
Austin police did not find a gun in or near the car of Michael Ramos, the Austin man who died after being shot at by police last month, Chief Brian Manley said Monday. “We did not locate a firearm inside the vehicle, nor did we locate a firearm in the area around the vehicle,” Manley […]