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Most Popular Stories
- Council members celebrate unanimous defeat of bill that proposed putting Austin under state control
- A once-banned type of building is back in favor – and the Planning Commission approves
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Police
Austin slowly expands police oversight powers voters passed in the spring
Months after Austinites overwhelmingly passed a sweeping measure calling for stronger police oversight, the City Council voted Thursday to set hard deadlines for staff to expand the Office of Police Oversight’s power. The resolution was approved 10 to 1, with Council Member Mackenzie…
Police • By Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT • Sep 22, 2023
Vela's call for transparency would require police to release detailed data monthly
Austin Police Department may soon be required to regularly publish comprehensive data on the city’s digital portal in a move to add transparency and address a backlog of thousands of public information requests. City Council is set to consider a…
Police • By Chad Swiatecki • Sep 14, 2023
Austin police chief turnover follows national trends
Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon’s recent announcement that he will retire ushers in the city’s third search for a top cop in just over five years. Experts say police chief turnover is an enduring challenge catalyzed in recent years by…
Police • By Emma Freer • Sep 1, 2023
Council delays transfer of 37 civilian position to APD, citing transparency concerns
Before City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget, which includes record-high police funding, District 4 Council Member Chito Vela proposed an amendment delaying the transfer of 37 full-time civilian staff positions to the Austin Police Department, citing a need…
Budget • By Emma Freer • Aug 22, 2023
Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon announces retirement
Chief Joseph Chacon will leave the Austin Police Department next month. Chacon told interim City Manager Jesús Garza of his plans to retire last week, city leaders said, and he officially gave his notice Monday morning. He has served in…
Police • By Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT • Aug 22, 2023
Austin Police Department Training Academy attrition remains high amid reforms
An Austin Police Department audit revealed high attrition rates among recent cadet classes amid ongoing reforms and persistent staffing shortages. Police leadership reported the inaugural audit’s findings – based on the 147th cadet class, which graduated in May – to…
Police • By Emma Freer • Aug 9, 2023
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Council OKs lawsuit settlements related to injuries, land
City Council agreed Thursday to settle five lawsuits, including paying $1.2 million to a protester who was injured during the protests outside the Austin Police Department in May 2020. Bomani Barton, who was shot by a police officer with three…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Jul 21, 2023
Wait, so, what's going on with DPS patrols in Austin?
The city of Austin has ended its agreement with the Texas Department of Public Safety to have state troopers supplement citywide police patrols. Mayor Kirk Watson and interim City Manager Jesús Garza decided to end the partnership Wednesday, after a…
Police • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jul 14, 2023
Austin again suspends its patrol partnership with DPS
Lee esta historia en español The city of Austin says it won’t forge ahead with its partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety to supplement police patrols. The plan was initially rolled out this spring but was met with…
Police • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jul 13, 2023
Public Safety Commission recommends guardrails for APD-DPS partnership – or ending it
The Public Safety Commission recommended that City Council establish a plan governing the recently resumed partnership between the Austin Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety – or discontinue it altogether. Commissioners voted on Monday to approve the…
Police • By Emma Freer • Jul 12, 2023
Austin Police Department keeps running on overtime
In January 2019, the Austin Monitor reported that APD had 110 vacancies and was making up for those vacancies by paying officers overtime. On Monday, Assistant Police Chief James Mason told the Public Safety Commission the department now has 329…
Police • By Jo Clifton • Jul 11, 2023
Interim city manager updates Office of Police Oversight procedures
Austin’s Office of Police Oversight has been in limbo in recent years. Its authority to investigate allegations of police misconduct was dismantled in 2021. Its director, Farah Muscadin, resigned in 2022. The city’s police labor contract expired – without a…
