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Tag Archives: Public Safety Commission

Austin's Vision Zero plan begins final march to Council

The city of Austin’s Vision Zero plan continued its final parade through boards and commissions Monday with a visit to the Public Safety Commission. And while some commissioners were dissatisfied with the 94-page document, others had little to say. “About…

Council to take up APD gender identity proposal

The Public Safety Commission unanimously recommended a resolution Monday that it hopes will prompt the police department to reform its policies on how gender is reported in criminal complaints and other official reports. The resolution directs the city manager to…

Commission debates racial disparities in policing

The Austin Police Department “deserves at least a B+,” according to Austin Police Monitor Margo Frasier. The good news is that not only did the total number of complaints about APD decline in 2014, but the most common complaint was…

Public Safety Commission wished for input in TNC talks

Although the issue long ago passed them up, members of the Public Safety Commission on Monday discussed the implications of City Council’s controversial vote in December imposing new regulations on ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft – also known…

Fire Department says it needs more fire stations

The Public Safety Commission unanimously recommended a resolution Monday that would require the city manager to submit an annual report to City Council identifying areas of the city most in need of fire stations. If approved by Council, staff will…

Reporter's Notebook: The elephant in the closet

Must be a walk-in… At the most recent meeting of the Public Safety Commission, members decided it was time to take matters into their own hands to initiate a conversation about Uber and Lyft and the impact that transportation network…

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Austin police emphasize mental health training

The Austin Police Department has altered its training and procedures in response to a growing consensus among experts that much of crime is linked to untreated mental illness. As a result, all new cadets in the Austin police academy receive…

Fire department touts improved flood performance

Larry Jantzen, chief of special operations with the Austin Fire Department, told members of the Public Safety Commission on Monday that the department was able to respond more quickly and effectively to the Oct. 30 floods because of improvements it…

Austin police talk 'open carry' at safety commission

The Austin Police Department expects to be fielding more gun-related 911 calls after Texas’ recently passed open carry law takes effect in January. The new law allows licensed gun owners to have their weapons visibly holstered in public, but many…

Record rate of traffic fatalities confounds APD

Traffic fatalities are so frequent in Austin that it’s difficult to keep up. That much was clear at the Public Safety Commission meeting Monday, when a person who had been struck and killed by a car just that morning did…

Zimmerman takes his turn criticizing nominations

City Council Member Don Zimmerman on Thursday doled out criticism usually targeted at his own nominations to boards and commissions, opposing an appointment to the Municipal Civil Service Commission and igniting a conversation about the merits of objectivity when it…

Council again questions Zimmerman appointments

Facebook posts did them in. As City Council members nixed two of Council Member Don Zimmerman’s appointees — some citing comments made on social media pages — they debated Zimmerman’s judgment following what they said has been a string of…

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