Austin Police Department Chief Art Acevedo on Wednesday strongly defended his decision to suspend and demote two supervisors for failing to appropriately investigate two high-profile use-of-force complaints. He also scoffed at Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday’s call for him to step down as chief, noting that the APA has “never seen” a discipline they […]
Austin Police Department
the law enforcement entity for the City of Austin.
Posted inPolice
Commission deadlocks on new police proposal for impounding cars
The Public Safety Commission deadlocked on a proposal to expand the Austin Police Department’s ability to impound a car when the driver does not have a driver’s license. The proposed ordinance, put forth by the Austin Police Department, would allow police to tow and impound a car that has been involved in a crash if […]
Posted inPolice
Audit points out flaws in APD complaint process
The process for handling complaints against Austin police officers is difficult to use, and even high-profile incidents involving an officer’s use of force – such as the widely covered incident involving an Austin teacher – have not always made it onto the Austin Police Department’s database, according to an audit from the Office of the […]
Posted inPolice
Police body cam footage remains touchy subject as court case awaits
While the implementation of a planned deployment of body cameras on Austin Police Department officers is on hold until at least late November, city leaders and public accountability advocates are still working out the issue of how the city will decide when to release video footage from those cameras for public review. At issue are two […]
Posted inBudget
APD vows to end DNA evidence backlog
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said Monday that the police department is committed to erasing its backlog of untested DNA evidence, which includes sexual assault kits as well as evidence collected from the scenes of property crimes. Acevedo told City Council that a $200,000 grant the department had just received would help eliminate that backlog, […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo joins Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to talk about policing in Austin against the backdrop of current national concerns. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/281324250″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Posted inBudget
Austin police short-staffed and underprotected, advocates say
In the aftermath of two shootings in Austin last weekend, City Council should increase police numbers as well as invest in better body armor, advocates say. Those shootings, along with a fierce national debate over the role police should be playing in communities, gave added gravity to a discussion over Austin’s shortage of police officers and […]
Posted inPolice
The investigations that begin when APD officers discharge their weapons
While investigations into the police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota have begun, a writer for feminist publication Ravishly wonders how each local jurisdiction investigates cases like these. Writer Ijeoma Oluo poses these questions: “Who reviews civilian complaints? Is there any civilian oversight? How are people appointed to review panels? Is there regular […]
Posted inPolice
The day after Dallas police shootings, APD graduates 37 new officers
It’s been one week since Baton Rouge police officers shot and killed Alton Sterling, a black man selling CDs outside a convenience store. Just a day later, Philando Castile was shot and killed by police outside St. Paul, Minn. Then, on Thursday, a lone gunman killed five Dallas police officers as protestors objecting to the […]
Posted inPolice
Commission wants ongoing scrutiny of police body camera policies
Activists and city leaders who pushed for the Austin Police Department to equip its officers with body cameras continue to voice concerns about the implementation of the program, including whether it will bring the intended transparency and protect the privacy of crime victims and witnesses. On Tuesday, the city Public Safety Commission approved a resolution […]
Posted inPolice
APD response times continue to increase
According to the city of Austin’s latest annual performance review released on June 22, the time it takes Austin police officers to respond to high-priority calls has been steadily increasing over the past five years. During Fiscal Year 2014-2015, the department missed its goal of responding to emergency and urgent calls within seven minutes and […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Council approves $17M contract for police body cameras
Despite lingering questions about the technology involved, City Council passed two contracts adding up to over $17.2 million to purchase body cameras and iPhones for the Austin Police Department at its meeting on Thursday. The purchase of the cameras has been the subject of debate since March. Community activists have raised ongoing concerns over the […]