The Austin Monitor recently sat down with new Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax to discuss some of the more prominent issues facing city staff and City Council as he gets situated in his job. Regarding the police contract, the draft agreement proposal was floating out there prior to your predecessor’s departure. Did you have any thoughts […]
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Posted inCity Hall
Broadnax shares thoughts on hiring Austin’s next police chief
The Austin Monitor recently sat down with new Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax to discuss some of the more prominent issues facing city staff and City Council as he gets situated in his job. For the first of four portions from the interview, he shares his plans for hiring a new police chief. Let’s start […]
Posted inPolice
Staff shortages are still a problem at APD
Before a scheduled briefing on the Austin Police Department’s community policing program, members of the City Council Public Safety Committee heard a pitch from Ethan Cheramie of On Scene Services proposing that his company take over the duties of officers who respond to motor vehicle collisions in Austin. Cheramie, the only speaker during citizen communication […]
Posted inBudget
Commissioners urge Council to increase public safety budgets
Members of the city’s Public Safety Commission voted unanimously on Monday to recommend that City Council adopt a budget this summer that will support needs outlined by representatives of the Austin Fire Department, Austin-Travis County EMS and the Austin Police Department. Representatives of each of the departments talked about their unfunded needs, stressing the importance […]
Posted inPolice
Austin police knew ‘less-lethal’ rounds could seriously injure people. They used them anyway.
Austin police officers shot scores of racial justice protesters in May 2020 with lead-pellet bags used to control crowds. Dozens of people were seriously injured by the so-called “less lethal” ammunition. The city has paid out more than $20 million in civil lawsuits over the use of these rounds, and the Austin Police Department vowed […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Auditor’s report points out difficulties with 911 call taking
As a result of complaints citizens made about problems they had connecting with the city’s 911 service during emergencies, City Council members Alison Alter and Vanessa Fuentes requested that the Office of the City Auditor look into how the Austin Police Department’s 911 service operates. Alter chairs the Audit and Finance Committee, and Fuentes is […]
Posted inPolice
Report finds mixed progress in APD’s work to implement police academy reforms
In assessing the latest analysis of the Austin Police Department’s Training Academy, members of City Council stressed the importance of a comprehensive audit system to ensure that years and money spent to improve the academy aren’t wasted. Concerns over the audits for the training process of each academy class, as well as the need for […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Austin still looking for more 911 call takers
Austin’s 911 call takers are regularly asked to take on a high call volume, but the Austin Police Department does not have a regular process for expediting call taking when the volume reaches higher-than-normal levels, according to a special report from the Office of the City Auditor. City Council members Vanessa Fuentes and Alison Alter […]
Posted inPolice
City, police union resume bargaining over long-term police labor contract
After more than a yearlong hiatus, the city and the Austin Police Association (APA) resumed long-term police labor contract negotiations on Wednesday. But it remains to be seen whether the two bargaining teams will be able to reach an agreement that complies with the Austin Police Oversight Act (APOA), a condition of City Council approval […]
Posted inPolice
APD settles another use-of-force case from 2020
The city of Austin has settled another case involving use of force against a citizen during the August 2020 protests against police violence. According to a news release from the Kaplan law firm, city officials agreed to and have paid a $55,500 settlement to Eli Winkelman on behalf of the city and two Austin police […]
Posted inCity Hall
Austin public safety agencies roll out electronic payroll system
Austin’s public safety agencies – the Austin Fire Department, the Austin Police Department and Austin-Travis County EMS – are in various stages of rolling out an electronic payroll system in an effort to streamline scheduling and other logistical tasks. The city’s Public Safety Commission expressed hope that the new system would improve transparency on how […]
Posted inAustin
Downtown Commission hears SXSW safety preparedness report
No one likes to think about worst-case scenarios turning large public events into devastating havoc, but such is the business of planning for major festivals like South by Southwest. Lessons learned from past events – the 2020 pandemic, the 2014 vehicular tragedy and various crowd-control incidents in other years – have helped shape a system […]