Twenty years ago, trombones were echoing in Courtney Santana’s ears – trombones like the ones in Charlie Brown cartoons. There she was, crumpled on parking lot asphalt. Austin police officers were holding her two kids, including her 8-month-old son, who had nearly been shot in the head after her partner’s pistol fell out of a […]
Austin Police Department
the law enforcement entity for the City of Austin.
Posted inCity Charter
Human Rights Commission calls for democratically elected police chief
On Monday, the Human Rights Commission agreed that City Council should change city ordinance to allow Austin to democratically elect its police chief. Under the proposal, which was put together by commissioners Nathan White, Kristian Caballero and Alicia Weigel, Austin voters would select a new police chief in a local election, and then the mayor […]
Posted inPolice
Council to consider approving grants for APD safety projects
Thursday’s City Council meeting agenda has 10 items requesting approval of grant awards to the Austin Police Department for a variety of ongoing projects. While the grants support important community programs like mental health first response, sexual assault evidence testing and victim services, Council members pulled each of the items Tuesday to clarify that the […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Integral Care set to address most mental health emergency calls without involving APD
Last week, City Council approved an additional $1.3 million for the Integral Care-EMCOT program next fiscal year, increasing the budget for the Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team by about 75 percent. With those extra dollars, Integral Care, the mental health authority for Travis County, plans to hire enough trained professionals to answer and respond to […]
Posted inBudget
Austin City Council proposes cutting police funding by a third. It could vote Wednesday.
City Council members are proposing cuts to the Austin Police Department budget totaling roughly $149 million, or 34 percent of the department’s current budget. Council members are scheduled to vote on the city’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year as early as Wednesday and no later than Friday. The proposal, posted to the City Council […]
Posted inBudget
Council talks six-month delay for bulk of police budget reform
As City Council struggles to comprehend what it would mean to cut approximately $100 million from the Austin Police Department’s budget for Fiscal Year 2020-21, Council members are floating a temporary fix: approve half of the department’s budget during next week’s budget adoption process and return in six months to consider a revised budget for […]
Posted inPolice
Austin police release video footage showing fatal shooting of Mike Ramos
Lee esta historia en español. Video footage released Monday of the shooting of Mike Ramos shows the 42-year-old pleading with Austin police officers to put their guns down, telling them he doesn’t have a weapon and that they are scaring him. APD Officer Christopher Taylor shot and killed Ramos, who was Black and Hispanic, in […]
Posted inPolice
Report recommends major changes to 911 procedures
Last week, City Council’s Public Safety Committee heard a presentation on a report from AH Datalytics, paid for by the Austin Justice Coalition, assessing the Austin Police Department’s 911 calls for service. Overall, the report asserts that many of the calls APD receives could be handled by an alternative resource. According to the report, only 21 […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Austin police release two people who fired handguns in deadly incident during protest
Both people who opened fire during an incident that led to the death of a man at a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night have been released after questioning. Both shooters reported themselves to police, according to Austin Police Chief Brian Manley. One shooter is believed to be the driver of […]
Posted inBudget
Public Safety budget discussion wrestles with demands to defund APD
Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo gave the Public Safety Committee a public safety budget overview at its meeting on Monday. Much of the discussion centered around the Austin Police Department budget. Community members and some City Council members have demanded that a portion of the budget be reallocated to other city departments. “We have […]
Posted inPolice
Austin delays releasing video of protester injuries, saying it would affect investigation
The Austin Police Department says it will delay the release of body camera footage from officers who caused serious injuries to demonstrators during the first weekend of protests against police killings and systemic racism in Austin. “In consultation with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, the videos related to the critical incidents from the recent […]
Posted inPolice
Commission wants more detail and authority behind police oversight findings
The Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities has signed on to a resolution passed by the Human Rights Commission that asks the Austin Police Department to investigate all complaints recommended for investigation by the Office of Police Oversight. The committee voted unanimously and without comment to endorse the resolution, which was approved last month. It […]