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Public Safety
Police to enforce noise ordinance during RoundUp
The Austin Police Department says it will enforce the city’s noise ordinance in the West Campus area during the University of Texas RoundUp festivities, scheduled for this weekend. RoundUp is a nationally known weekend of parties and live performances put…
Austin • By Sunny Sone • Mar 27, 2015
County postpones Correctional System master plan
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt has temporarily halted preliminary steps toward a new County Correctional System master plan. At Tuesday’s Commissioners Court voting session, Eckhardt agreed to delay a vote on whether to proceed to the second part of a…
Public Safety • By Caleb Pritchard • Mar 26, 2015
ANC calls for body cameras for local police
The Austin Neighborhoods Council is calling for the use of body cameras by active-duty police officers. In a resolution approved last week, the ANC proposed the cameras, citing mistrust between neighbors and police; higher rates of incarceration, use of force and…
Police • By Elizabeth Pagano • Mar 3, 2015
Austin Monitor Radio: AFA President Bob Nicks
Austin Firefighters Association President Bob Nicks joins Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to talk about recent developments that put the union, looking for its first contract since 2012, back at the bargaining table with Austin City Management. Sponsored by Kerby Lane…
Fire • By Michael Kanin • Feb 11, 2015
Decredentialing process gets public safety spotlight
Last week, the Public Safety Commission examined the continued tension between the city’s medical director and the Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services Association over decredentialing. Medical Director for Austin/Travis County EMS Dr. Paul Hinchey spoke to commissioners about the de-accreditation…
EMS • By Elizabeth Pagano • Feb 9, 2015
Explainer: AFD, AFA, and the consent decree
Each week, the Explainer offers a closer look at stories we have been following. This week, we look at City Council action from last week that restarts negotiations between the Austin Firefighters Association and city management. It what amounts to…
Fire • By Michael Kanin • Feb 9, 2015
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Council OKs restart of firefighter negotiations
As its first major action, the Austin City Council on Thursday approved a resolution directing city management to go back to the bargaining table with the Austin Firefighters Association. But it did not, as initially proposed, direct staff to stop…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Feb 6, 2015
Not all firefighters support pulling RFP
The president of the Austin African-American Firefighters Association told the Austin Monitor that the city would be making a mistake if it stops the RFP process for a plan to recruit new firefighters and returns to the negotiating table, as set…
Local Politics • By Jo Clifton • Feb 5, 2015
APD says fingerprints need more staff
On Monday, the Public Safety Commission addressed a situation that has crime scene fingerprints in Austin waiting years to be analyzed. According to Ed Harris Jr., chief of support services at the city’s forensics lab, the city has 1,693 latent…
Public Safety • By Elizabeth Pagano • Feb 3, 2015
BSEACD debates annexing unregulated wells
Water supply company Electro Purification is planning to pump 5 million gallons of water per day from an unregulated area just outside the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, causing neighbors to question whether EP could deplete water in the area.…
Environment • By Kara Nuzback • Feb 2, 2015
Travis County sets bond election for November
On Tuesday, Travis County Commissioners chose November over May to go to the voters with a bond election to fund construction of the planned Civil and Family Courthouse project. Plans for the facility call for a 14-story, 511,000-square-foot building with…
Bonds & Propositions • By Mark Richardson • Jan 28, 2015
Suicides highlight rift between EMS staff, managers
A second suicide by an Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services first responder within the past seven months has heightened visible tensions between the department’s leadership and its employees. And while multiple EMS first responders took to Facebook earlier this month…
