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Public Safety
District attorney isn't making a mountain out of some mold here
Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore is downplaying concerns over the hundreds of Austin Police Department rape kits stored inside boxes that were recently found to be covered in apparent mold. Along with representatives from the Austin city manager’s office,…
Police • By Caleb Pritchard • Jul 7, 2017
Council narrowly approves controversial Central Health board nominee
By a one-vote margin, City Council approved the appointment of a new member to the Central Health Board of Managers after complaints about the nominee’s potential conflicts of interest. Council voted 6-5 to assign Julie Oliver, a division controller for…
Public Health • By Jack Craver • Jun 16, 2017
Auditors to look at firefighters' overtime
After considerable complaint from its newest members, Jimmy Flannigan and Alison Alter, City Council voted last month to amend the city’s General Fund budget by transferring $3.5 million from a stabilization reserve fund into the Austin Fire Department’s budget to pay…
Fire • By Jo Clifton • Jun 16, 2017
Casar: End curfew law that targets minorities
Seventy-six percent of teenagers accused of juvenile curfew violations from 2014 through 2016 were minorities, with Hispanics making up the majority of those cited by the Austin Police Department, according to the department’s own records. The law prohibits persons under…
Public Safety • By Jo Clifton • Jun 14, 2017
Rundberg residents search for resources to continue restoration
Residents of Rundberg Lane in North Austin saw many benefits during the three years the area received a stepped up police presence thanks to a $1 million federal grant that concluded last year. Crime, especially in a handful of “hotspots,”…
Public Safety • By Chad Swiatecki • Jun 12, 2017
Public Safety Commission has a HOT debate
As the city of Austin scrounges for money to hire more police officers, firefighters and paramedics, it shouldn’t look to the tourism industry for help. That was the message delivered to the Public Safety Commission Monday by Bill Worsham, a…
Police • By Jack Craver • Jun 8, 2017
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Public safety agencies envision big staff increases
In presentations to the Public Safety Commission Monday, leaders of the Police Department, Fire Department and Emergency Management Services called for significantly boosting staff in the coming years, both to make up for existing shortages and to keep up with…
Public Safety • By Jack Craver • Jun 6, 2017
Central Health board chair lays out case against nominee
The chair of the Central Health Board of Managers is ramping up the pressure on City Council to reject an applicant to the board due to the applicant’s position with a major hospital. In a lengthy letter sent Friday to…
Public Health • By Jack Craver • Jun 5, 2017
Here's what we learned about requests from ICE to pick up Travis County inmates
Drunken driving. Property theft. Possession of a controlled substance. These are some of the crimes for which the Travis County Sheriff’s Office did not honor requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain suspected undocumented immigrants past their sentences…
Public Safety • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 1, 2017
Central Health nominee stirs up policy questions
The chair of the Central Health Board of Managers strongly suggested that City Council may be causing problems for the board by appointing a new member with ties to a major hospital. In an interview with the Austin Monitor Tuesday,…
Public Health • By Jack Craver • Jun 1, 2017
Conflict of interest questions delay Central Health board appointment
City Council postponed a decision on appointing a new member to the Central Health Board of Managers amid concerns over diversity and potential conflicts of interest. The nine-member board of managers oversees the public health authority, which provides a variety…
Public Health • By Jack Craver • May 22, 2017
Austin City Council votes to challenge Texas over new 'sanctuary cities' law
By Lisa Dreher and Elizabeth Pagano Though it has already been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Austin City Council can now pursue its own case against Texas’ “sanctuary cities” law. On Thursday, Council voted to allow the city…
