As law enforcement agencies in Texas figure out how to test suspected marijuana following the legalization of hemp in the state, the Austin City Council responded Thursday with its fix: a measure that effectively decriminalizes small amounts of pot. “It’s the right thing for criminal justice reform, from a common-sense perspective, and it’s the right […]
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Posted inPolice
Activists say officers allege retaliation for speaking to investigators in racism probe of APD
Activists and a City Council member say they’ve heard claims of possible obstruction in the investigation into alleged racism and homophobia among the highest ranks of the Austin Police Department. “It seems that people are not able to wholeheartedly and openly and honestly talk about some of the issues regarding racism within the police department,” […]
Posted inPolice
APD survey shows police officers are proud but frustrated
As the Public Safety Commission came back to a new year on Jan. 6, members began with a lengthy discussion about the state of the Austin police force. After receiving a presentation from the department highlighting the personal, professional and emotional barriers officers face, the commissioners began by asking how APD is addressing the concerns […]
Posted inPolice
Austin orders sweeping probe of alleged racism, bigotry among police, including social media audit
The city of Austin will conduct a department-wide investigation of discrimination in the Austin Police Department, following accusations of racism and homophobia among the highest ranks. “There comes a time in everybody’s existence to have to do something really hard because it’s worth it,” Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison said before Council voted on the measure […]
Posted inPolice
Public Safety Commission pushes for an independent investigation into ‘endemic’ racism and homophobia in APD
Last month, City Manager Spencer Cronk announced that attorney Lisa Tatum would investigate allegations of racism among the executive staff of the Austin Police Department. The investigation follows complaints that APD Assistant Chief Justin Newsom used the N-word to refer to African Americans, including former City Council Member Ora Houston and former APD Chief Frank […]
Posted inPublic Safety
APD updates the Public Safety Commission after a day of homeless camp cleanups
Questions surrounding the city’s revised camping, sitting and resting ordinances were brought to the public’s attention Monday as the state stepped in for cleanup operations and the city of Austin simultaneously conducted an operation to enforce its camping ban outside the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless. At the Nov. 4 meeting of the Public […]
Posted inPolice
Austin’s review of how police handle sexual assaults won’t be finished until 2022
An independent review of how Austin police investigate sexual assault cases won’t be completed until February 2022, the Austin Public Safety Commission said. Austin City Council agreed last month to pay up to $800,000 to the Washington, D.C.-based Police Executive Research Forum to do the audit, with help from the Philadelphia-based Women’s Law Project and […]
Posted inPolice
Public Safety Commission talks homelessness with APD
Last week brought a new level of scrutiny to the way the city polices individuals experiencing homelessness. The governor declared he would “unleash” state resources if Austin doesn’t address its homelessness issues by Nov. 1. Police Chief Brian Manley suggested reinstating the old ordinances while the department worked on its enforcement strategy. Finally, the police […]
Posted inPolice
Report faults APD’s handling of information
The Austin Police Department has failed to comply with the federal policy relating to access to criminal justice information maintained by the FBI, according to a special report from the Office of the City Auditor. Assistant City Auditor Andrew Keegan briefly described his findings to the Council Audit and Finance Committee on Thursday. The Texas […]
Posted inCity Hall
Auditors report on community policing efforts
The Austin Police Department has made considerable progress in implementing recommendations from the 2016 Matrix Consulting Group study on community policing, according to an audit update from the city auditor’s office recently provided to the mayor and City Council. The report states that APD has implemented 40 out of 60 recommendations from the Matrix report. […]
Posted inBudget
Council looks at police, fire department budgets
At Council’s final budget work session on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo told Council members he had learned that the city would have about $2.4 million more than anticipated when staff prepared the original budget of $4.2 billion. (That number is based on the tax rate of 44.31 cents per $100 valuation, […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Community leverages conundrum over hemp to advocate for marijuana decriminalization
Despite the technical difficulty of distinguishing marijuana from legal industrial hemp, the Austin Police Department told the City Council Judicial Committee on Tuesday that the city cannot afford to let the possession and sale of marijuana go unchecked. However, several members of City Council and many community justice advocates question the value of spending taxpayer […]