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 successor – in March. A proposition expanding the office’s authority passed in May. In the […]
Police
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Community groups demand permanent end to APD-DPS partnership
Community groups are denouncing the city’s decision to resume its controversial policing partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety. Groups including the Austin Justice Coalition, Grassroots Leadership and the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance are calling for a permanent end to the Austin Police Department’s partnership with DPS. Last week, the groups hosted the first […]
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State troopers are going to patrol Austin streets again starting next month
State troopers will resume patrols on Austin streets July 2, the city said Thursday. The Austin Police Department partnered with the Department of Public Safety in late March to help out with patrols, but the deal ended after complaints from Austinites and a reassignment to the border. The police department said it’s changing its deployment strategy to […]
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Austin Police Department developing five-year strategic plan
The Austin Police Department is hosting community input sessions this month as part of its process of developing a new strategic plan. That plan is intended to serve as the department’s road map for the future and provide direction and priorities for the next five years. The first two meetings have already taken place. The […]
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APD training academy continues to resist outside recommendations for reform
Despite several interventions and some progress, the Austin Police Department training academy continues to struggle with long-standing issues, including sworn staff resistance to civilian staff and outside instructors, the curriculum review process, a high cadet attrition rate and a lack of transparency. These are among the preliminary findings from an ongoing audit by Kroll Associates […]
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Cops can keep license plate information for 7 days under new agreement
City Council voted 9-1 on Thursday to move forward with funding for an automated license plate reader contract, specifically authorizing the Austin Police Department to hold on to data for just seven days. The police department had argued in favor of 30 days. There was insufficient support on Council for that amount of time when […]
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License plate reader questions coming back to Council again
While considering a new contract for license plate readers for the Austin Police Department last week, City Council could not reach agreement on how long the department should retain the information generated. Council will consider the policy as part of this week’s agenda. It is set to vote on whether to authorize a contract for […]
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Council debates data-retention period for license plate reader pilot program
City Council is negotiating how long the Austin Police Department should retain data from dashboard camera license plate readers – weighing civil liberty protections against potential crime-solving benefits – in preparation for a pilot program using the technology. Council defunded APD’s license plate reader program following mass protests against racial injustice and police violence in […]
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APD, DPS brief Public Safety Committee on suspended partnership
More than a week after the Austin Police Department announced its controversial partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety had come to a close, law enforcement officials on Monday briefed the city’s Public Safety Committee on the now-defunct deployment and responded – again – to City Council members’ concerns about equity and transparency. Austin […]
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Public Safety Commission greenlights license-plate reader program amid police pushback
The Public Safety Commission voted unanimously on Monday that City Council approve a pilot program reinstating the Austin Police Department’s license-plate reader program – with caveats. Council is due to revisit a new contract for license-plate reader systems and related services with a third-party vendor at its Thursday meeting. The Public Safety Commission heeded criminal […]
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City still needs more 911 operators
Although the city has stepped up recruiting efforts considerably for filling vacancies in its 911 call center, there are still 49 vacancies among the 104 positions, according to Maria Calagna, director of emergency communications for the Austin Police Department. Calagna told the Public Safety Commission Monday that the city also still needs to add two […]
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State police suspend controversial patrol agreement with Austin
The Austin Police Department says the Texas Department of Public Safety is ending its partnership with the city of Austin to supplement police patrols. APD told KUT Saturday that troopers were being reassigned to the Texas border following the expiration of Title 42, a Trump-era restriction on migration. In a statement, APD Chief Joseph Chacon […]