After nearly a year without a police labor contract, city leadership has signaled its hope for – and taken steps toward – a new agreement in early 2024. But incoming Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock says recent developments, including a recently filed lawsuit, have raised questions that need answering before the union will return […]
Austin Police Department
the law enforcement entity for the City of Austin.
Posted inPolice
Renewed cooperation eliminates backlog of sexual assault evidence kits
After years of discord, the team created to improve Travis County’s response to sexual assault is back to collaborating, team members told the Commissioners Court Tuesday, and a backlog of untested evidence kits has been processed. Spurred by state law enacted in 2021, the members of SARRT, or the Austin/Travis County Sexual Assault Response and […]
Posted inPolice
Austin hasn’t allowed more police oversight, despite voter approval. Now it’s getting sued.
A lawsuit in a Travis County court aims to force Austin’s hand in rolling out a voter-backed plan to increase police oversight. Austin voters approved Proposition A in May by a four-to-one margin. The measure, known as the Austin Police Oversight Act, roundly defeated an opposing plan backed by the city’s police union. The APOA was set up […]
Posted inPolice
Public Safety Commission pushes for full implementation of police oversight measures
The Public Safety Commission chided the Office of Police Oversight for its lack of communication and progress regarding the implementation of the Austin Police Oversight Act and a related ordinance enacting some of the act’s provisions. “It’s now December, and we are now finally starting to see some of the details of how this implementation […]
Posted inPolice
Travis County dismisses charges against APD officers who used beanbag rounds in 2020 protests
The Travis County district attorney has dropped assault charges against 17 Austin police officers who used so-called “less lethal” beanbag rounds over a weekend of racial justice protests in 2020. District Attorney José Garza pursued charges against 21 officers after several Austinites were seriously injured during protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Data collection issues threaten initiative to prevent gun violence
A disconnect between the Austin Police Department and a criminal justice reform organization could delay a new violence reduction initiative, Travis County officials said Tuesday. The glitch came to light Tuesday during a progress report to the Travis County Commissioners Court. Last November, commissioners dedicated federal funds from the American Rescue Plan to create two […]
Posted inParks
Hiking in Austin? What to know about car break-ins before you go.
Lee esta historia en español Mount Bonnell, Pennybacker Bridge and nearby greenbelts have grown in popularity for hikers, tourists and, more recently, car burglars. “I never thought I would be the next victim while enjoying that beautiful area,” said Tina Vargas, whose car was broken into in October while she was hiking with her friend […]
Posted inCourts
Jury deadlocked in murder trial of Austin police officer who shot Michael Ramos
The trial of the Austin police officer accused of murder in the 2020 fatal shooting of Michael Ramos ended in a mistrial on Wednesday morning. This is the second time the case has ended in mistrial. The first time came at the end of May, after a tumultuous four days of jury selection resulted in […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Public Safety Commission encourages language accessibility across public safety agencies
The Public Safety Commission encouraged the city’s public safety agencies to continue efforts to improve language accessibility at its meeting on Monday. “It seems … hugely important that we grow our fluency across all the departments,” said Chair Nelly Ramírez. “So any little steps that we can take to sort of make public safety in […]
Posted inCourts
The biggest moments from Austin police officer Christopher Taylor’s murder trial so far
The second week of the murder trial of Austin police officer Christopher Taylor, who fatally shot Mike Ramos in 2020, starts today. Ramos’ shooting, along with George Floyd’s murder, sparked weeks of protests for racial justice that year. Police responded to a 911 call about drug activity at a Southeast Austin apartment complex in April […]
Posted inPolice
APD Training Academy audit shows improvement – but not enough to curb attrition
An external audit of the Austin Police Department’s 148th cadet class, which graduated in September, shows progress in “reimagining public safety,” but attrition remains a constant challenge. Under internal audit protocols developed by Kroll Associates in March 2022, APD is required to report to City Council the progress of each cadet class and of ongoing […]
Posted inPolice
APD pushed to improve training, engagement with Austin’s disabled community
Disability advocates in Austin want the Austin Police Department to include training and research on the lives of people with disabilities as part of basic academy education, while encouraging department staff to build stronger relationships with the local disabled community. Those were some of the recommendations included in a recent report from the Office of […]