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Public Safety
Pharmaceutical opioid companies pay out – but will it be enough?
The Travis County Commissioners Court received a legal briefing Tuesday on County of Travis v. Purdue Pharma, a yearslong case brought by Travis County and a host of other plaintiffs against a number of manufacturers and distributors of pharmaceutical opioids,…
Public Health • By Seth Smalley • Feb 9, 2022
City seeks to separate forensics lab from APD while complying with state law
It’s never too soon to talk about the 2023 city budget, especially as it relates to the Austin Police Department and the divisions that were separated out from under APD before the state Legislature penalized cities for thinking outside the…
Public Safety • By Amy Smith • Feb 8, 2022
Vaccine effort continues in Travis County with focus on first doses
The Travis County Commissioners Court held a regular briefing Tuesday on the county’s response to Covid-19 and its ongoing vaccine distribution efforts. Several representatives spoke on behalf of independent and governmental organizations, including Central Texas Allied Health Institute, the County…
Public Health • By Seth Smalley • Feb 3, 2022
Loop 360/Davenport fire station lease raises questions
After serious questions about whether staff members had provided City Council with sufficient information before moving forward on construction of a new Loop 360/Davenport fire/EMS station, Council on Thursday approved a 40-year lease for the property at 4601 Westlake Drive.…
Public Safety • By Jo Clifton • Feb 1, 2022
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
Negotiations begin anew as public safety contracts expire this year
With contracts between the city and Austin’s three public safety associations set to expire in September, the Public Safety Commission heard presentations and perspectives from each of the groups and the Austin Justice Coalition on Monday. The Austin EMS Association,…
Public Safety • By Amy Smith • Jan 25, 2022
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City races to prepare for the next emergency
City Council’s Audit & Finance Committee received an updated report Wednesday on the city’s efforts to prepare for what Assistant City Manager Rey Arellano has described as “complex, cascading disasters,” like the city faced last February during Winter Storm Uri.…
Public Safety • By Jo Clifton • Jan 20, 2022
EMS contract talks center on salary and staffing needs
With the city’s rejection of the Austin EMS Association’s proposed wage increase, the two sides now move to the interest-based bargaining phase of negotiations in an effort to achieve common ground on quality-of-life issues such as work-life balance and mandatory…
EMS • By Amy Smith • Jan 20, 2022
Austin voters to decide on decriminalizing small amounts of weed and banning no-knock warrants in May
Austin voters will be asked in May if they want to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana and do away with no-knock warrants. The former practice is already police policy. In July 2020, the Austin Police Department said it would no longer…
Police • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jan 19, 2022
County holds virtual meet-and-greet for county executive candidates
Travis County is hosting a virtual meet-and-greet tomorrow from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to present the final three candidates for the new Health and Human Services county executive position. Juan Duarte is currently the executive director for the Office of…
Public Health • By Seth Smalley • Jan 18, 2022
Austin/Travis County require businesses to post whether they require masks, Covid-19 tests or vaccinations
Starting Monday, businesses in Travis County and the city of Austin will have to post a sign indicating whether employees and customers need to wear a mask, show a negative Covid-19 test or be vaccinated against the virus. City of…
Public Health • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jan 14, 2022
Austin police should budget for 100 more patrol officers, study says. Chief unsure if he’ll ask for funds.
The Austin Police Department should budget for 108 more patrol officers to respond to emergency calls more quickly, researchers hired by the nonprofit Greater Austin Crime Commission say. In an analysis of about 2 million 911 calls going back to 2016, researchers…
