Public Safety
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 by Alejandro Martínez-Cabrera, KUT
Health & Human Services
Austin, Travis County move back to Stage 4 Covid-19 guidelines
Austin-Travis County health officials have scaled back their Covid-19 risk-based guidelines to Stage 4 as cases and hospitalizations have steadily decreased. Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority, credits mitigation efforts such as masking and vaccinations for the improvements. “The behaviors that…
Tuesday, September 28, 2021 by Chad Swiatecki
Police
Report pushes police to improve training, communication with disabled Austinites
A new report based on feedback from residents with disabilities calls on the Austin Police Department to make improvements to its training and practices concerning interactions with residents experiencing mental health issues, hearing loss or other disabilities. The report comes…
Thursday, September 23, 2021 by Audrey McGlinchy, KUT
Police
Austin taps interim Chief Joseph Chacon as its next police chief
Joseph Chacon, who has been serving as interim Austin police chief since April, has been nominated to take on the position permanently, City Manager Spencer Cronk confirmed Wednesday. The decision is still pending approval from City Council at its meeting…
Tuesday, September 21, 2021 by Amy Smith
Police
APD needs more oversight, Public Safety Committee is told
Police transparency and accountability are still sorely lacking in Austin, according to statistical information presented to the City Council Public Safety Committee on Monday. Farah Muscadin, director of the Office of Police Oversight, or OPO, provided several grim findings in…
Wednesday, September 15, 2021 by Jerry Quijano, KUT
Health & Human Services
Austin health officials say boosting Central Texas vaccine rates will ease the stress on local hospitals
The rolling average for new daily Covid-19-related hospital admissions has been on the decline for more than three weeks. Still, with an average of 57 admissions as of Tuesday, Austin-Travis County remains at the highest level of Austin Public Health’s…
Thursday, September 9, 2021 by Amy Smith
Health & Human Services
Public Safety Commission questions police force’s low vaccination rate
Only about half of Austin police officers have been vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus and mask-wearing is typically at the discretion of officers responding to calls, Public Safety Commission members learned Tuesday. The information did not sit well with commissioners,…
