With Austin voters set to vote on whether to expand civilian oversight of the police department in May, the city of Austin and the Austin Police Association reaffirmed their commitment to finalizing a new labor contract before the spring election, despite persistent disagreements about what oversight should look like. “We are here to negotiate,” Rebecca […]
Austin Police Department
the law enforcement entity for the City of Austin.
Posted inPublic Safety
APD officers continue to direct homeless to campsite closed for new residents
The Austin Police Department has for months continued to direct homeless individuals to a camping site that has been closed to new residents, leaving people with no legal place to find shelter while staying with their belongings. At Wednesday’s meeting of the Downtown Commission, APD Commander Eric Fitzgerald delivered a report about safety issues in […]
Posted inPolice
APD releases after-action report detailing response to 2020 protests
In the two years and four months since thousands of Austinites protested the police killing of George Floyd, 19 Austin police officers have been indicted for using so-called less-lethal ammunition, or beanbag rounds, on protesters, and the city of Austin has reportedly paid out $15 million in settlements to those injured. Now, the Austin Police […]
Posted inElections
Council sends police oversight act to voters, despite concerns about delay
Voters will decide in May whether to expand civilian oversight of the Austin Police Department after City Council declined to pass an initiative petition during a Sept. 15 meeting, with some members expressing concerns about potential legal challenges. The political action committee Equity Action submitted 33,000 petition signatures to the city clerk on Aug. 8 […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin OKs an automated license plate reader program
Lee esta historia en español. City Council approved a revival of a police department program to use license plate scanners on police cruisers and at fixed points throughout the city. Council agreed Thursday on a one-year pilot program to reinstate the readers, which passively scan license plates in the hopes of assisting police in tracking […]
Posted inCity Council
Council to decide on police oversight ordinance
At the end of a packed agenda today, City Council will face a choice of adopting the Austin Police Oversight Act or calling a May 2023 election on the proposal. At Tuesday’s work session, Council Member Chito Vela and Mayor Steve Adler both revealed that they had signed the petition sponsored by Equity Action and […]
Posted inPolice
APD responds to concerns about LRAD crowd control measure
At the Public Safety Commission’s special called meeting Tuesday, the Austin Police Department answered follow-up questions about its ongoing use of long-range acoustic device, or LRAD, technology as a crowd control method amid concerns it could damage the hearing of protesters and officers alike. The commission learned about LRAD at an August discussion about the […]
Posted inPublic Safety
City to raise pay for 911 operators, police dispatchers amid vacancies
The city of Austin will increase pay rates for 911 call takers and police dispatchers for the second time in five months in an effort to stanch rising vacancy rates. Human Resources and Civil Services Director Joya Hayes announced the change in a Sept. 1 memo to City Council. The raise, which will take effect […]
Posted inCity Council
Council postpones vote on controversial license plate reader resolution
Nearly 40 people showed up at the City Council meeting last Thursday either to voice their concerns or show their support for the re-implementation of the Austin Police Department’s automated license plate reader program, which has proven to be an incendiary issue for Austinites. Reinstating the program would cost $114,775 and use around 20 cameras […]
Posted inPolice
Council to consider budget amendment for sexual assault investigations
The city’s Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget could include more than $850,000 in additional funding for sexual assault investigations, building on a yearslong effort to reform how the Austin Police Department investigates and processes such cases. Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter proposed a budget amendment Friday that would allocate ongoing and one-time funds to implement recommendations […]
Posted inPolice
Equity Action submits police oversight petition ahead of November election
Austin voters may get the chance to decide whether to expand police oversight in the November election. Equity Action, a local political action committee dedicated to public safety reform, submitted 33,000 petition signatures to the city clerk on Monday in support of the Austin Police Oversight Act. Way to go, Austin! Despite the hottest Texas summer […]
Posted inPolice
City pushes to open police personnel files to the public
The city of Austin proposed making portions of police officers’ personnel files public, including disciplinary histories, and raising salaries 6 percent over four years during its Thursday negotiation session. As the current contract’s Sept. 30 expiration date nears, the two bargaining teams have begun debating its most substantial – and contentious – provisions: transparency, oversight, […]