The murder trial of Christopher Taylor, the Austin police officer who fatally shot Mike Ramos in 2020, has been reset for October. Travis County District Judge Dayna Blazey announced at a Wednesday hearing that the new date for the trial is Oct. 16. The court’s first attempt at a trial ended in mistrial after four […]
Austin Police Department
the law enforcement entity for the City of Austin.
Posted inPolice
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 […]
Posted inPolice
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 […]
Posted inCourts
Christopher Taylor murder trial to be rescheduled after mistrial
The trial of the Austin police officer accused of murder in the 2020 shooting of Mike Ramos ended in a mistrial on Friday. Travis County Judge Dana Blazey is working with prosecutors and the defense team to determine the date for a new trial, which is expected to be announced this week. Blazey declared a […]
Posted inPolice
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 […]
Posted inCourts
In surprise move, Blazey releases part of Christopher Taylor’s secret personnel file to the defense team
The district court judge overseeing the trial of the Austin police officer charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Mike Ramos has ruled that parts of the officer’s secret personnel file will be handed over to the defense. Last week, Travis County District Court Judge Dayna Blazey denied the city of Austin’s motion to […]
Posted inCity Hall
Public Safety Commission, APD reach a detente
The Public Safety Commission and the Austin Police Department are recovering from a tense meeting earlier this month, at which APD leadership threatened to no longer attend commission meetings and commissioners lamented APD’s unresponsiveness, revealing a widening chasm. That’s why APD leadership’s appearance before the Public Safety Commission was noteworthy during a special called meeting […]
Posted inPolice
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 […]
Posted inPolice
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 […]
Posted inCourts
Judge will see secret personnel file of Austin police officer charged with murder in Mike Ramos shooting death
Days before the start of the murder trial of the Austin police officer who fatally shot Mike Ramos, a Travis County District Court judge has denied a city of Austin request to keep part of the officer’s personnel file private. At a Monday morning hearing, Travis County District Court Judge Dayna Blazey denied the city’s […]
Posted inPolice
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 […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Austin passed a sweeping police oversight measure. Here’s what happens next.
Austin resoundingly approved an expansion of police oversight on Saturday. About 80 percent of voters in the city approved Proposition A, while the same percentage of voters shut down the opposing proposition, Prop B. Now comes the hard part. City leaders will have to fold Prop A’s expansion of the city’s Office of Police Oversight into a labor contract […]