Police oversight report shows progress in 2023 data

The Office of Police Oversight received more than 1,500 public contacts in 2023, forwarding 578 complaints to the Austin Police Department and recommending 215 for investigation, according to the agency’s newly released annual report. Of those, APD investigated 138 cases and sustained policy violations in 11, resulting in eight oral reprimands and six written reprimands.

The number of external complaints forwarded by the Office of Police Oversight to the APD declined slightly in 2023, dropping from 689 the previous year to 578. However, the number of complaints recommended for full investigation rose significantly, with 215 flagged for further review compared to just 47 the year before.

The most common issues cited in complaints involved a lack of assistance from officers, concerns about impartiality or courtesy, dangerous driving, false arrest or detention, and inaccurate or misleading report writing.

No officers received suspensions or formal discipline beyond written reprimands as a result of external complaints in 2023, a decrease from the previous year when three officers were suspended due to community-submitted complaints.

The report shows that the majority of complaints reviewed by the OPO did not result in full investigations by the department. Of the 578 complaints submitted by the public, 245 were referred to supervisors, 132 were classified as community concerns and 129 were administratively closed.

Frequently cited issues mirrored patterns seen in previous years, with the most common allegations involving a lack of assistance from APD officers and concerns about officer courtesy and impartiality. Other categories included allegations of false arrest or detention, inaccurate report writing and dangerous driving by officers.

In 2023, 103 APD officers received some form of discipline, with 89 of those cases stemming from internal complaints initiated by the department itself. Only 14 officers were disciplined based on community complaints, and none of those cases resulted in temporary or indefinite suspension.

According to the report, the most frequent violations leading to disciplinary action involved the misuse of department vehicles, improper handling or documentation of duty firearms, and failure to meet general standards of conduct and responsibility to the community.

The 2023 report reflects the first full year of operations under the Austin Police Oversight Act, a voter-approved measure expanded the OPO’s authority and access to police records. As part of that implementation, the office’s Policy and Research Division hired new staff to help carry out the provisions of the ordinance and support its alignment with a related City Council resolution.

The office’s complaints team restructured its internal processes to match the newly defined standards for investigations outlined in the oversight act, a shift that contributed to the increase in complaints recommended for formal review.

The release of the annual report comes amid ongoing changes to the city’s police oversight framework, which continues to evolve following the expiration of Austin’s meet and confer agreement with the police union in early 2023. That agreement had previously governed many aspects of the OPO’s operations. The subsequent voter approval of Proposition A reinstated and codified the Community Police Review Commission and redefined the office’s investigative authority under state law.

OPO Director Gail McCant called 2023 a year of transition, with the overlapping challenges of structural change and heightened public expectations for transparency and accountability. A more comprehensive evaluation of those changes is expected in the office’s next annual report, set for release in late 2025.

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