As Austin continues to experience explosive growth as it transforms into one of the nation’s larger metro areas, concerns about big-city-sized crime abound. However, despite meteoric growth, overall violent crime is down. Ron MacKay, the crime analysis division manager with APD, came to the March 4 meeting of the Public Safety Commission to present the […]
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 inUncategorized
Travis County and its growing number of sexual assault response teams
Sexual assault has become a hot-button topic in Austin over the past several weeks. Of course, this sort of crime is nothing new; sexual violence has been with us for centuries and has always been difficult to deal with. In an effort to engender ongoing coordination between agencies charged with responding to crimes of sexual […]
Posted inPolice
APD Chief Manley addresses sexual assault audit
At the beginning of 2019, Austin Police Department Chief Brian Manley called for a third-party audit of the department’s sexual assault cases. State auditors subsequently found that detectives had wrongly “exceptionally cleared” nearly a third of rape cases over a three-month period in 2017. Responding to these findings, Chief Manley called for an outside review of the […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Report: West Campus needs more lights
Two and a half years after the murder of a UT student spurred calls to improve safety in the West Campus neighborhood, campus safety advocates and city transportation officials say it’s time for the city to improve lighting in the area. Last year, the city hired a consultant to do a comprehensive study of existing […]
Posted inFire
‘Mega-fires’ are real, but their size is anyone’s guess
When representatives from the Austin Fire Department spoke at the last meeting of the Public Safety Commission, they alluded to a “mega-fire” they said was imminent in West Austin. Although the term may sound alarming, Justice Jones, wildfire mitigation program manager in the department’s Wildfire Division, told the Austin Monitor that there is no true […]
Posted inPublic Safety
For juveniles, no more curfew tickets does not mean more crime
Last September, City Council unanimously voted to end the late-night curfew for minors that had been on the books for 27 years. Those who made the case to nix the ordinance argued with data that showed that curfews do not serve to reduce lawbreaking. Although the ordinance was originally intended to address juvenile crime, community […]
Posted inPolice
Office of the Police Monitor looks to revamp complaint process
According to a recent study by the Office of the Police Monitor, for many in Austin, being seen is being heard. At the Sept. 4 special called meeting of the Public Safety Commission, Police Monitor Farah Muscadin explained that many people first come into contact with the Office of the Police Monitor when filing a […]
Posted inPolice
Citizen Review Panel audit brings up questions of document security
After 17 years of evaluation of the Austin Police Department by the Citizen Review Panel, not much happened. That is the conclusion that the Office of the City Auditor presented at the Aug. 6 meeting of the Public Safety Commission: After reviewing 54 of the panel’s recommendations as well as 10 written responses from APD, […]
Posted inPublic Safety
SAFE wants to help make Austin safer by reducing violence early
Relationship violence is a significant driver of violence in any city. However, it can be difficult for the police to do anything more than respond to incident calls; they cannot be caseworkers for those who are involved in violent relationships. In Austin, the SAFE Alliance came to the August 6 meeting of the Public Safety […]
Posted inPolice
APD continues to push toward community-focused policing
Since the Austin Police Department made its switch to a more community-oriented focus last year, it has continued to plow forward in its efforts to reorient its policies and position APD more as a force for the people. In a presentation to the Public Safety Commission on July 2, Police Chief Brian Manley updated commissioners on the […]
Posted inAustin
The debate over decriminalizing homelessness
A campaign to decriminalize behaviors associated with homelessness got a boost Monday from the Public Safety Commission, which voted to approve a resolution that instructs the city manager to review ordinances that may “create barriers for people who are trying to obtain housing or employment.” The resolution, which was authored by Commissioner Daniela Nuñez, highlights […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Commission votes to expand Injury Prevention Program
In an effort to support the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Service’s efforts to reduce preventable injuries, the Public Safety Commission passed a motion to fund and expand the county’s Injury Prevention Program at its May 7 meeting. Lisa Sepulveda, Austin-Travis County EMS Community Service program manager, said the program provides education, training and resources to […]