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Public Safety

Fire Department says it needs more fire stations

The Public Safety Commission unanimously recommended a resolution Monday that would require the city manager to submit an annual report to City Council identifying areas of the city most in need of fire stations. If approved by Council, staff will…

Forum updates on community health initiatives

City and county health officials and health services organizations provided an update last Wednesday night on a five-year comprehensive community health planning initiative that will end in June. About 86 residents attended the community forum at the George Washington Carver…

Council devises short-term fix for EMS staffing

The union representing Austin emergency medical service workers won a partial victory last week when City Council voted to approve three new positions for the EMS call center. Three entry-level employees will be added to the center, and the department…

Council will vote on new 911 call center backup

“Austin is growing.” By now this maxim has become the resounding, if not infuriating, anthem of the city. It affects various sectors of life in Austin, from transportation to housing to health. And, as it turns out, it also affects…

Committee pushes for regular HHS budget increase

City Council’s Health and Human Services Committee is asking City Manager Marc Ott to consider an annual increase of at least 3 percent for the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department’s budget. The move comes after Council increased the…

Council delays decision on EMS staffing issues

City Council heard two competing narratives over a staffing shortage in the City of Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services communications and dispatch section of its discussion last week, as department management urged Council to approve an ordinance that would eliminate…

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Austin police emphasize mental health training

The Austin Police Department has altered its training and procedures in response to a growing consensus among experts that much of crime is linked to untreated mental illness. As a result, all new cadets in the Austin police academy receive…

City releases police body camera solicitation

The Austin Police Department moved closer to kicking off its highly anticipated body camera pilot program on Monday, when the city quietly released a solicitation for contract bids online. The contracts would be for the “purchase, implementation, and support” of…

Fire department touts improved flood performance

Larry Jantzen, chief of special operations with the Austin Fire Department, told members of the Public Safety Commission on Monday that the department was able to respond more quickly and effectively to the Oct. 30 floods because of improvements it…

Austin police talk 'open carry' at safety commission

The Austin Police Department expects to be fielding more gun-related 911 calls after Texas’ recently passed open carry law takes effect in January. The new law allows licensed gun owners to have their weapons visibly holstered in public, but many…

County applies for police body camera grant

The Travis County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to approve an application submitted by the Sheriff’s Office for a new statewide police body camera grant for a county body camera pilot program. The measure passed on a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner…

APD outlines body camera policy in forum

Amid calls for increased scrutiny of law enforcement across the nation, City Council has decided that the city should purchase body cameras for the Austin Police Department in the coming months. What that rollout and the policies that govern it…

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