City Council on Thursday approved a resolution reaffirming the city’s transparency policy in labor negotiations, despite objections from the Austin Police Association president. The one-page resolution, introduced by Ryan Alter, reiterates the city’s policy that meet-and-confer and collective bargaining discussions with public safety unions are publicly recorded and broadcast. It also ensures that documents exchanged […]
Austin Police Association
The organization that represents Austin Police officers.
Posted inPolice
Austin City Council passes new police contract
Austin City Council approved a five-year, $218 million contract with the city’s police union Thursday. The deal passed on a 10-1 vote. The approval came after hours of impassioned testimony from scores of Austinites. Supporters argued the contract is necessary to stem years of attrition at the police department and address crime throughout the city. […]
Posted inPolice
Council weighs financial impact of proposed police contract
As City Council weighs approval of a proposed police contract expected to cost $218 million over five years, city budget staff on Tuesday presented a brighter financial outlook compared to the dire projections given earlier this year. At Tuesday’s work session, there were no warnings of a $60 million budget deficit by 2029. Budget Officer […]
Posted inElections
Carmen Llanes Pulido vows to bring inclusive leadership to City Hall
Carmen Llanes Pulido may be the youngest candidate in the five-way race for mayor, but the lifelong Austinite with activism in her DNA arguably has the most boots-on-the-ground experience in the city’s grassroots arena. As the executive director of the nonprofit Go Austin/Vamos Austin, Llanes Pulido hopes to extend her future-focused leadership to City Hall. […]
Posted inPolice
Austin’s police union, city agree to a $218 million, five-year labor contract
Austin’s police union and the city agreed in principle Monday to a five-year labor contract. The $218 million deal, which comes after years of occasionally contentious negotiations, would give police officers a 28 percent raise over the next five years. The complete details have not yet been made available to the public. City Council is […]
Posted inPolice
City, police union resume bargaining over long-term police labor contract
After more than a yearlong hiatus, the city and the Austin Police Association (APA) resumed long-term police labor contract negotiations on Wednesday. But it remains to be seen whether the two bargaining teams will be able to reach an agreement that complies with the Austin Police Oversight Act (APOA), a condition of City Council approval […]
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Report: APD investigated 47 out of 689 complaints against its officers
Austinites voted overwhelmingly last year to expand the Office of Police Oversight’s authority. Implementing the Austin Police Oversight Act, however, has proven challenging. The office recently faced criticism from the Public Safety Commission over its lack of progress on this front. Equity Action, which spearheaded the act, sued the city on Dec. 5 for its […]
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Austin police officer indicted for fatally shooting tech entrepreneur Raj Moonesinghe in 2022
A Travis County grand jury indicted an Austin police officer for fatally shooting a South Austin man while on duty last year. Daniel Sanchez was indicted on a count of deadly conduct for killing 33-year-old Raj Moonesinghe in November 2022. Moonesinghe was carrying a long gun when Sanchez shot him outside his home near the […]
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Police union leadership says oversight lawsuit further stalls labor contract negotiations
After nearly a year without a police labor contract, city leadership has signaled its hope for – and taken steps toward – a new agreement in early 2024. But incoming Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock says recent developments, including a recently filed lawsuit, have raised questions that need answering before the union will return […]
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Austin hasn’t allowed more police oversight, despite voter approval. Now it’s getting sued.
A lawsuit in a Travis County court aims to force Austin’s hand in rolling out a voter-backed plan to increase police oversight. Austin voters approved Proposition A in May by a four-to-one margin. The measure, known as the Austin Police Oversight Act, roundly defeated an opposing plan backed by the city’s police union. The APOA was set up […]
Posted inPolice
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, […]
Posted inPolice
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 […]