The long march to add body cameras to Austin Police Department’s official toolkit took a symbolic step forward Monday night when members of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee heard unanimous support from a diverse group of stakeholders. It was a rare moment of harmonic accord for APD, the Office of the Police Monitor, the […]
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the law enforcement entity for the City of Austin.
Posted inPolice, Public Safety
Public Safety urges APD to wait on body cameras
The Public Safety Commission is urging the Austin Police Department to avoid making a hurried decision about when and how officers will wear body cameras. Commissioners said Monday they would consider adding a resolution on body cameras to next month’s agenda. Police Chief Art Acevedo announced in November department plans to outfit its officers with […]
Posted inAustin, Music & Entertainment, Police
Police to enforce noise ordinance during RoundUp
The Austin Police Department says it will enforce the city’s noise ordinance in the West Campus area during the University of Texas RoundUp festivities, scheduled for this weekend. RoundUp is a nationally known weekend of parties and live performances put on annually by the UT Greek community. In recent years, the city has not rigidly […]
Posted inPolice, Public Safety
ANC calls for body cameras for local police
The Austin Neighborhoods Council is calling for the use of body cameras by active-duty police officers. In a resolution approved last week, the ANC proposed the cameras, citing mistrust between neighbors and police; higher rates of incarceration, use of force and targeting toward communities of color; and a desire to “begin a larger process of dialogue […]
Posted inPublic Safety
APD says fingerprints need more staff
On Monday, the Public Safety Commission addressed a situation that has crime scene fingerprints in Austin waiting years to be analyzed. According to Ed Harris Jr., chief of support services at the city’s forensics lab, the city has 1,693 latent assignments pending. Harris said that, with the addition of three senior examiners, the latent fingerprint […]
Posted inAustin, Public Safety
Police Monitor says citizen complaints up in 2013
The Office of the Police Monitor, which works to improve relations between the Austin Police Department and the public, is preparing to issue a report showing that citizens filed more complaints against police officers in 2013 than in 2012. Police Monitor Margo Frasier told the Austin Monitor on Friday that 2012, which had fewer overall complaints […]
Posted inAustin, Public Safety, Transportation
City considers big tow change
If approved later this month, the Austin Police Department will have a new way to manage some of the 30,000-odd tows it handles every year. Detective Robert Loosier presented the plan for a new managed towing program to the Public Safety Commission last week. The program, which will handle the tows needed as a result […]
Posted inPolice, Public Safety
Austin Police studying body cameras for officers
The Austin Police Department has plans for its officers to eventually wear body cameras, though Police Chief Art Acevedo says the technology isn’t up to speed yet. “We’re confident that within the next 12 months, the industry will rise to the challenge and we’ll have a system that will be seamless in terms of its […]
Posted inPublic Safety, Uncategorized
McDonald announces retirement from city service
After 31 years of service to the city, Deputy City Manager Michael McDonald has announced that he will retire at the end of December. McDonald, who had a distinguished career in the Austin Police Department and served as the first African-American assistant police chief in Austin’s history, moved over to City Hall in 2002 to […]
Posted inPublic Safety
APD Communications hard-pressed to handle calls
As the Austin metropolitan area population grows over the next couple of decades, officials say city services will be hard-pressed to keep up with the demand. But that future is now for Austin Police Department’s Emergency Communication Division, whose leaders say they are already falling behind. Julie O’Brien, commander of the Emergency Communication Division, listed […]
Posted inPublic Safety
APD faces tough questions at community forum
During an emotionally charged public forum on police accountability, Austin Police Department Chief Art Acevedo defended the department against accusations that officers unfairly target minorities. The Travis County Democratic Party hosted Tuesday’s forum at the North Door after it passed a resolution calling for action for APD to “address systemic issues surrounding racial profiling, excessive […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Police claim no disparities in marijuana arrests
Austin police say African-Americans are not unfairly targeted by police for marijuana offenses, despite community claims to the contrary. The Austin Human Rights Commission met last week to hear a presentation from Assistant Police Chief Brian Manley about statistics related to citations for marijuana, as opposed to arrests. Manley said of all the Austin Police […]