Tag Archives: Reimagining Public Safety
Community-based public safety program reaches out to overlooked and underserved Austinites
Urban Alchemy, a national nonprofit, has been awarded a $2 million federal grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant will expand an initiative to create a replicable model to reduce crime and bolster resilience through community intervention. As part…
Public Safety • By Mina Shekarchi • Oct 8, 2024
APD releases after-action report detailing response to 2020 protests
In the two years and four months since thousands of Austinites protested the police killing of George Floyd, 19 Austin police officers have been indicted for using so-called less-lethal ammunition, or beanbag rounds, on protesters, and the city of Austin…
Police • By Emma Freer • Sep 23, 2022
Commission recommends moving APD forensics lab
With little fanfare, Austin’s Public Safety Commission voted unanimously Monday to ask City Council to move the Forensic Science Bureau out of the Austin Police Department, making it independent both in structure and budget. Commissioners signaled last month that they…
Public Safety • By Jo Clifton • Mar 8, 2022
Police academy shows progress in adopting reforms
With a new cadet class set to begin in late March, the Austin Police Department and consultants are fine-tuning a curriculum that more closely aligns with the city’s reimagined public safety process. APD Chief Joseph Chacon updated City Council in…
Police • By Amy Smith • Feb 17, 2022
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As Austin reimagines public safety, new police findings emerge
Arrests made by Austin police declined 51 percent from 2017 to 2020, yet use-of-force incidents increased 58 percent, according to an independent review of the Austin Police Department. A city-retained consulting firm, Kroll Associates, spent 48 months reviewing Austin’s police…
Police • By Amy Smith • Jan 28, 2022
Public Safety Commission hears update on police academy after reset
This week the Public Safety Commission heard an update on the Austin Police Department’s first cadet class since pausing cadet training to restructure the curriculum to align with the city’s reimagining public safety process. Dr. Anne Kringen, who joined APD…
Police • By Amy Smith • Dec 10, 2021
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Public Safety Commission frowns on marshal office proposal
While it took no action on a proposal to create a marshal office within the Austin Municipal Court, the Public Safety Commission largely gave the plan a thumbs-down on Monday. Last month, City Council heard concerns from residents about the…
Courts • By Amy Smith • Nov 4, 2021
Council postpones decision on City Marshal Office
Last Thursday, City Council considered the creation of a new municipal court division that would replace its use of sworn Austin Police Department officers. The ordinance would create a City Marshal Office, an agency separate from the Austin Police Department,…
Public Safety • By Kali Bramble • Oct 20, 2021
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Breaking down the Reimagining Public Safety task force’s recommendations
Last month, the city’s newly formed joint city-community Reimagining Public Safety task force released its 2021 mid-year recommendations report. At over 70 pages long, the report’s proposals range from popular police reform policy changes to ideas that would fundamentally reshape the way the…
Public Safety • By Sean Saldaña • May 10, 2021
Austin will start training new police again this June, after a yearlong hiatus
City Council members voted Thursday to restart cadet classes after a pause to allow the police department to make changes to how it trains new officers. The next cadet class is set to start by June 7. It will be…
Police • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • May 7, 2021
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