The next Austin Police Department cadet class is on hold indefinitely, City Manager Spencer Cronk reiterated Thursday during the Public Safety Committee meeting. The department will not proceed with the new cadet class, which it had hoped to begin in July, until an audit of APD’s training procedures can be completed. “We are delaying the […]
Austin City Council Public Safety Committee
A City Council committee that reviews safety issues, including code enforcement, disaster preparedness and criminal justice.
Posted inPolice
APD survey shows police officers are proud but frustrated
As the Public Safety Commission came back to a new year on Jan. 6, members began with a lengthy discussion about the state of the Austin police force. After receiving a presentation from the department highlighting the personal, professional and emotional barriers officers face, the commissioners began by asking how APD is addressing the concerns […]
Posted inDevelopment
Public Safety Commission dives into building material safety
Fire unquestionably presents a risk to public safety. However, a less visible risk associated with a burning building are the toxic chemicals used in building materials that can damage the health of first responders and homeowners who inhale the fumes they emit. According to local environmental activist and researcher Paul Robbins, three of the most […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Should hotel taxes and festival fees contribute to public safety coffers?
Austin’s festivals are most certainly a tourist attraction. But does that mean the public safety costs associated with those events should be financed through money earmarked for arts and tourism? With Council’s vote to raise the Hotel Occupancy Tax by 2 cents on Aug. 8, this question returned for debate at the Public Safety Commission […]
Posted inUncategorized
Public Safety Commission endorses police union contract
Rejecting the pleas of police accountability activists, the Public Safety Commission voted Monday night to recommend the approval of the proposed new union contract between the city of Austin and the Austin Police Association. Both Police Chief Brian Manley and APA President Ken Casaday stressed that if a contract is not approved, police officers will […]
Posted inPolice
Safety commissioners voice concerns about forensic officer’s firing
Slowly but surely, reported Austin Police Department officials at a recent meeting of the Public Safety Commission, the city of Austin is reducing its backlog of DNA evidence. The total backlog has dropped from roughly 4,500 batches in June to 2,535 now, reported Assistant Chief Troy Gay. That’s made up of 1,686 sexual assault kits, […]
Posted inPolice
Police body cam footage remains touchy subject as court case awaits
While the implementation of a planned deployment of body cameras on Austin Police Department officers is on hold until at least late November, city leaders and public accountability advocates are still working out the issue of how the city will decide when to release video footage from those cameras for public review. At issue are two […]
Posted inFire, Uncategorized
City considers providing fire service to Travis County ESD4
After years of city annexations, Travis County Emergency Services District 4 (ESD4) should no longer have its own fire department, ESD4 Fire Chief David Bailey told the City Council Public Safety Committee on Monday. When it was founded as Travis County Rural Fire Protection District #4 in 1985, the taxing district covered a large swath of […]
Posted inPolice
Committee wants more specifics from police on body cameras
Activists and members of the City Council Public Safety Committee made clear Monday that they want greater assurances from the Austin Police Department that the body cameras the department plans to implement will bring about transparency and accountability. In particular, the four committee members emphasized their hope that the department would develop a clear set […]
Posted inPolice
500 body cameras soon to be within APD’s reach
The Austin Police Department is inching closer to acquiring at least 500 body-worn cameras, but some close to the process told the Public Safety Committee on Monday that more public input should be sought. This month, APD announced a “pilot confirmation process” with Taser International Inc., which bid on a job to procure the 500 cameras and provide […]
Posted inElections
As May 7 election nears, voting efforts ramp up
Early voting on the future of fingerprinting drivers for hire in Austin begins in five weeks, and interested parties are hard at work educating the public on which button to press at the polls. On Monday, the Supreme Court of Texas upheld ballot language that City Council approved in February after a political action committee […]
Posted inAustin
Stakeholders to consider digital billboards
Billboard owners are asking City Council for permission to modernize their billboards by making them digital. On Thursday, Council approved a resolution setting up a stakeholder process to try to reach some agreement about whether the city should allow digital billboards and what kind of regulations would be appropriate. One group that has always opposed […]