Disability advocates in Austin want the Austin Police Department to include training and research on the lives of people with disabilities as part of basic academy education, while encouraging department staff to build stronger relationships with the local disabled community. Those were some of the recommendations included in a recent report from the Office of […]
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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 Kelly voting against. Proposition A, which was backed by the criminal justice nonprofit Equity Action, […]
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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 resolution from Council Member Chito Vela that directs city staff to develop a plan for […]
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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 social change, including mass protests against police violence and racism in the summer of 2020 […]
Posted inCity Council
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 for more clarity. Although city staff attempted to answer Vela’s questions and to dissuade such […]
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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 law enforcement for 31 years. Chacon said he had been considering retirement for the last […]
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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 the city’s Public Safety Committee on Monday. Under internal audit protocols developed by Kroll Associates […]
Posted inCity Council
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 beanbag rounds, agreed to drop his suit against the city in return for compensation. Barton […]
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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 couple of incidents involving troopers earlier this week. But state police are still going to […]
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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 pushback from Austinites who felt they were being profiled. It was then suspended when troopers […]
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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 recommendation, which calls for “significant community engagement,” as well as parameters defining “goals, time periods, […]
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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 operational vacancies. Just as reported in 2019, and again last year, APD is counting on […]