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 […]
Public Safety Commission
The Public Safety Commission is a City Council advisory body charged with oversight of budgetary and policy matters concerning public safety These include matters related to the Austin Police Department, the Austin Fire Department, and the Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services Department.”
Posted inPolice
Public Safety Commission calls for $5.6M to clear DNA backlog
The Public Safety Commission upped the ante Tuesday, calling for an additional $5.6 million to tackle a backlog of DNA cases that continue to accumulate while the city’s lab remains shuttered. With a week left to pass the city’s budget, City Council is already considering an additional $1.9 million to hire seven analysts and outsource […]
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 inPublic Safety
Fire Dept. on Barton Creek drownings: There’s only so much we can do
There is only so much the city can do to prevent people from putting themselves at risk in Barton Creek or other area waterways, an Austin Fire Department official told members of the Public Safety Commission on Tuesday. “Water is always dangerous,” said Assistant Fire Department Chief Brian Tanzola. Tanzola had been requested to brief […]
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 inPublic Safety
Commissioners OK support for more APD racial profiling data
After delaying a vote for several meetings, the Public Safety Commission on Monday supported a resolution asking for more racial profiling data from the Austin Police Department and a more rigorous analysis of it by the Office of the Police Monitor. Commissioner Mike Levy took a minute to congratulate fellow commissioners after a unanimous vote. […]
Posted inAustin
Reporter’s Notebook: We get procedural
Let the autopsy commence!… On election night, David Butts, chief strategist for Our City, Our Safety, Our Choice, said that opponents had overplayed their hand, but he also praised the media for exposing inaccuracies in Proposition 1 advertising. “The press,” he said, “did a really great job of exposing (deceptive advertising). “It’s one thing for us […]
Posted inTransportation
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 the only thing I can say is the pictures are pretty,” said Commissioner Mike Levy […]
Posted inPolice
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 develop a policy on how the Austin Police Department refers to transgender and gender nonconforming […]
Posted inPolice
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 for officer rudeness, Frasier told the Public Safety Commission on Monday. During her presentation, she […]
Posted inUncategorized
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 as transportation network companies, or TNCs. Members failed to come to a consensus on what […]
Posted inFire
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 develop a comprehensive plan to be presented to Council in the next budget cycle for […]