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- How Trump’s federal funding freeze is beginning to affect Austin
- APD won’t enforce SB 14 as Paxton and Trump further attack gender-affirming health care
- After shutting off mental health care for Austin musicians, SIMS Foundation restarts services
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- Austin ISD announces hiring freeze as budget deficit grows to $110 million
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Police
Public Safety Commission pushes for an independent investigation into 'endemic' racism and homophobia in APD
Last month, City Manager Spencer Cronk announced that attorney Lisa Tatum would investigate allegations of racism among the executive staff of the Austin Police Department. The investigation follows complaints that APD Assistant Chief Justin Newsom used the N-word to refer…
Police • By Jessi Devenyns • Dec 3, 2019
Austin's review of how police handle sexual assaults won't be finished until 2022
An independent review of how Austin police investigate sexual assault cases won’t be completed until February 2022, the Austin Public Safety Commission said. Austin City Council agreed last month to pay up to $800,000 to the Washington, D.C.-based Police Executive…
Police • By Nadia Hamdan • Oct 9, 2019
Public Safety Commission talks homelessness with APD
Last week brought a new level of scrutiny to the way the city polices individuals experiencing homelessness. The governor declared he would “unleash” state resources if Austin doesn’t address its homelessness issues by Nov. 1. Police Chief Brian Manley suggested…
Police • By Jessi Devenyns • Oct 8, 2019
Report faults APD's handling of information
The Austin Police Department has failed to comply with the federal policy relating to access to criminal justice information maintained by the FBI, according to a special report from the Office of the City Auditor. Assistant City Auditor Andrew Keegan…
Police • By Jo Clifton • Sep 27, 2019
Austin police pension fund facing trouble
The Austin Police Department’s retirement system is in considerable trouble, with actuaries predicting that the fund will run out of money within 50 years unless the city and the officers who are members of the system reach an agreement to…
Police • By Jo Clifton • Aug 28, 2019
Public Safety Commission recommends increased funding for mental health first responder program
The Austin Police Department is working to revamp its tactics when handling calls related to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. Fulfilling that goal starts with training officers so they are equipped to help in these tense situations. Public Safety…
Police • By Jessi Devenyns • Aug 8, 2019
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City audit says Austin police could be better about keeping track of body camera footage
The Austin Police Department is still working out the kinks in its body camera program, according to a new city audit. The report released today by the city auditor’s office looked at footage from 151 body cam videos from Aug.…
Police • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jun 26, 2019
Austin police report shows a slight uptick in property crimes in 2018
A new report released Monday from the Austin Police Department shows crime overall increased in 2018, with property crimes up 9 percent. Violent crimes dropped slightly, however. The report also acknowledges controversy surrounding the way APD handles sexual assault cases,…
Police • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jun 25, 2019
APD racial profiling statistics hold steady despite dip in traffic stops
Each year, the Austin Police Department releases a report to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement detailing the number of traffic stops and searches it makes and categorizing them by race. Recently released statistics show that while the Austin Police Department…
Police • By Jessi Devenyns • Mar 8, 2019
APD Chief Manley addresses sexual assault audit
At the beginning of 2019, Austin Police Department Chief Brian Manley called for a third-party audit of the department’s sexual assault cases. State auditors subsequently found that detectives had wrongly “exceptionally cleared” nearly a third of rape cases over a three-month…
Police • By Jessi Devenyns • Feb 5, 2019
Austin Police Department orders outside audit after state finds it misclassified cleared rape cases
The Austin Police Department has ordered a third-party audit of rape investigations after state auditors found it misclassified certain rape cases. “This review will look from the beginning to the end,” Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said. “From the moment…
Police • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jan 17, 2019
Advocates say APD should focus less on how rape cases are coded and more on solving them
When Austin Police Chief Brian Manley announced last week that state auditors had found problems with the way police classify rape cases, some people were not shocked by the news. “It wasn’t a huge surprise to us,” said Kristen Lenau,…
