Slowly but surely, reported Austin Police Department officials at a recent meeting of the Public Safety Commission, the city of Austin is reducing its backlog of DNA evidence. The total backlog has dropped from roughly 4,500 batches in June to 2,535 now, reported Assistant Chief Troy Gay. That’s made up of 1,686 sexual assault kits, […]
Austin Police Department
the law enforcement entity for the City of Austin.
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Same as it ever was
The cycle continues… South by Southwest has brought another rogue set of transportation providers to Austin. Just as Uber bullied its way into town during a trial run during the 2013 iteration of the festival, several bikesharing companies have deployed their on-demand bicycle rentals on streets and sidewalks downtown. The move took Austin Transportation Department […]
Posted inPolice
Safety commission discusses staffing for APD sexual assault unit
The Austin Police Department’s struggle to indict perpetrators of sexual assault crimes could be due in part to a lack of staffing, according to data examined by its Sex Crimes Unit. For nearly a year, the APD’s battle to clear the DNA rape kit backlog has been in the public eye. At a Public Safety […]
Posted inPublic Safety
APD still years away from clearing DNA backlog
Austin’s Public Safety Commission gave mixed reviews to the Austin Police Department’s attempts to recover from the shutdown of its DNA lab and its backlog of thousands of untested rape kits. At its meeting on Monday, the commission responded favorably to the APD’s handling of a freezer malfunction that could have jeopardized DNA evidence from […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Travis County Commissioners consider spending up to $14 million on legal review of DNA cases
The Travis County Commissioners Court considered options for how to handle a review of criminal cases potentially compromised by the local DNA lab. Run by the Austin Police Department, the lab shuttered its doors in June following an audit from the Texas Forensic Science Commission. “What’s particularly concerning about the problems that were happening at […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Commissioners Court considers next steps in DNA lab catastrophe
The Travis County Commissioners Court is moving forward with its version of damage control in the wake of revelations about the Austin Police Department’s DNA testing lab. On Tuesday, County Judge Sarah Eckhardt explained to the court how her plans to move forward start with looking backward, namely with the help of an outside expert […]
Posted inPolice
APD updates commission on DNA backlog
The Austin Police Department hopes to have the backlog of sexual assault kits eliminated within the next year, Assistant Chief Troy Gay told the Public Safety Commission on Monday. APD will soon begin sending 100 batches of evidence every two weeks to the Southwestern Institute of Forensics Science, the lab run by Dallas County that […]
Posted inPolice
Council approves Manley to head police department
City Council voted unanimously Thursday to hire Brian Manley, the chief of staff to outgoing Police Chief Art Acevedo, to be the Austin Police Department’s interim chief. Manley said he was “honored, proud and humbled” by both Council’s support and the Interim City Manager Elaine Hart’s decision to recommend his appointment. “I assure you that […]
Posted inCourts
CLEAT subpoenas Adler in officer’s hearing
The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, or CLEAT, has subpoenaed Mayor Steve Adler to give testimony at an upcoming arbitration hearing in the firing of Officer Geoffrey Freeman. Freeman lost his job after shooting an unarmed, naked teenager in February when the teenager charged at him on his bicycle. Charley Wilkison, executive director of […]
Posted inAustin
Commissioners Court hears about DNA unit’s failures
The Travis County Commissioners Court heard a lengthy briefing last week about a catastrophic failure in how DNA evidence is tested in Austin. The 90-minute discussion was spurred by the closure of the Austin Police Department’s Forensic Services Division DNA Unit following a disastrous audit conducted by the Texas Forensic Commission in July. That investigation […]
Posted inPolice
Austin Police Department looks to Dallas County to ease DNA backlog
City Council members today will consider contracting with a Dallas County forensic lab to process evidence in at least 600 sexual assault cases. The contract, funded with money out of the Austin Police Department budget, totals $1.6 million for a 12-month period with the option to extend. “This is going to be the most important […]
Posted inPolice
How the Travis County DA’s race could affect police use-of-force cases
One race tucked into the crowded ballots that Travis County voters are seeing this election could have a substantial effect on police use-of-force cases. From the death of Eric Garner in New York to the death of David Joseph here in Austin, the majority of these cases share a coda: Local prosecutors fail to bring […]