Public Safety commissioners took a closer look at racial issues in the Austin Police Department, diving into a recent report on the subject at their Monday meeting. A survey of over 1,000 APD officers and staff about their attitudes toward race and racism found “significant differences” in responses from white, Black and Hispanic respondents. The […]
Austin Police Department
the law enforcement entity for the City of Austin.
Posted inPublic Safety
Reimagining Public Safety task force asks for hold on cadet classes
A public meeting of the task force for Reimagining Public Safety reviewed a report Wednesday about the presence of racial and gender bias and the use of unnecessary force in training cadets at the Austin Police Academy. The task force highlighted the problems and made recommendations for how to restart the academy after the issues […]
Posted inPolice
Videos used to train Austin police perpetuate ‘racism, sexist gender norms and classism,’ panel finds
A panel of community members has recommended the Austin Police Department remove 60 videos from its training curriculum after concluding they bolster racist and sexist ideas and do little to help officers constructively interact with the public. “The vast majority of the videos we reviewed over these seven months were disappointing in quality. Most were […]
Posted inAustin
2020: Highlights (and lowlights) of an unforgettable year
It’s not likely that anyone who lived through it will soon forget the year 2020. It’s possible, however, that one might forget the details of local news stories from the year. For that, we offer this review of the year that was, and we wish everyone a safe, healthy and much happier new year. The […]
Posted inPolice
Abbott plots DPS takeover of APD
Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Twitter Monday that he had received draft language to seize Austin’s Police Department and put it under the control of the Texas Department of Public Safety “just in time for Christmas.” The Austin Police Association, which has been particularly unhappy with City Council’s work to reimagine public safety, tweeted, “Looking […]
Posted inPolice
Adler, Pool voice support for cadet class this spring
With Austin police officers either retiring or simply quitting the force in record numbers this year, Mayor Steve Adler told his colleagues at Tuesday’s City Council work session that he really wants to have a cadet class this spring. Council cut the Austin Police Department budget this fall and told department leaders they needed to […]
Posted inPolice
Police department sees trend in violent crime uptick
Breaking from typical practice, the Austin Police Department presented the Public Safety Commission with a monthly crime report for the month of October as part of its routine quarterly update on Monday afternoon. While department representatives said the crime report was not meant to serve as a commentary on the ongoing effort called “reimagining public […]
Posted inPolice
Another demonstrator sues APD after she says she was shot in the head with ‘less-lethal’ ammunition
Another demonstrator has filed a federal lawsuit against the Austin Police Department and an unidentified police officer over the use of so-called less-lethal rounds. Arianna Chavez filed a complaint in federal court last week, alleging the officer used excessive force when he shot her in the back of the head with a “dangerous projectile” during […]
Posted inPolice
Police department makes an effort to reach out to Austin’s deaf community
The Austin Police Department is taking special measures to make sure its policies and procedures do not disproportionately affect community members with hearing loss. At Sunday’s Special Meeting of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities, Officer Scott Marler met with city officials to discuss the training APD offers to educate officers on interacting with […]
Posted inPublic Safety
City departments team up to fight human trafficking
Local officials continue to emphasize that human trafficking has no place in Austin, where the crime is officially recognized by the city as a “human rights concern impacting Austin residents, businesses and communities.” In a recent memorandum, the city laid out the various ways it is working to identify and address human trafficking. In addition […]
Posted inPublic Safety
City overlooks police overtime dollars
When City Council cut $21.5 million from the Austin Police Department budget in August, it also provided $3.174 million that could be used for overtime as the department adjusted to its budgetary constraints. The dollars were intended to buy time as Council considered future steps to reimagine public safety, but the city has not taken […]
Posted inPolice
Report finds racial bias in 2019 traffic stops
The Office of Police Oversight, the Equity Office and the Office of Innovation released a joint report Monday determining that racial bias continues to influence outcomes in police traffic stops. The report, which analyzed local traffic stop data from 2019, found that bias has in some ways worsened since the previous joint report covering 2015-2018 […]