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Public Safety
Community group seeks organized assistance for flood victims
A community organization called the Travis Austin Recovery Group (TARG), formed in the aftermath of the historic 2013 Halloween floods, is noting the six-month anniversary of the event with the release of a Draft Recovery Plan for the people and…
Local Government • By Mark Richardson • May 2, 2014
City set to participate in early fire detection system
The severe drought gripping Central Texas brings a high degree of risk for wildfires, and that is a major concern for local fire officials, who do not want a repeat of the massive blazes that devastated areas like Bastrop and…
Local Politics • By Mark Richardson • May 1, 2014
Lawsuit says sheriff’s office, phone vendor violating inmates’ rights
A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses several local law enforcement agencies with violating defendants’ constitutional rights by listening in on conversations between inmates at the Travis County jail and their lawyers and using that information to gain a conviction. …
Local Government • By Mark Richardson • Apr 30, 2014
Martinez proposes that city issue debt to buy out flooded homes
Austin City Council Member Mike Martinez will announce a proposal at 10 a.m. today that would have the potential of greatly accelerating buyouts for homeowners whose houses were damaged or destroyed in last year’s Halloween floods on Onion Creek. …
Development • By Michael Kanin • Apr 25, 2014
Audit finds problems with how APD stores, destroys old evidence
A city audit found that drugs and firearms confiscated by the Austin Police Department are in some cases not adequately protected, with drugs sometimes stored in cardboard boxes outdoors. In response, APD officials say they are re-evaluating the department’s…
Public Safety • By Elizabeth Pagano • Apr 24, 2014
Travis County seeks new way to appoint attorneys for poor defendants
Travis County is considering revamping its system to assign court-appointed attorneys. For years, its system was a model for defending the poor. But now, judges and staff are looking west for a new model to adapt to the county’s needs,…
Local Government • By Jimmy Maas • Apr 17, 2014
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Morrison wary of adding private institutions to Intelligence Center
A proposal to include a handful of new police organizations as members of the Austin Regional Intelligence Center, called the ARIC, raised a red flag for Council Member Laura Morrison Tuesday. Morrison didn’t appear to have an objection to…
Local Politics • By Michael Kanin • Apr 16, 2014
Halloween flood report points to shortcomings of emergency response
An after-action report on the City of Austin and Travis County’s response to the Halloween flood released last week said that there were myriad serious problems with the response to the emergency. Chief among them was a lack of ability…
Public Safety • By Mark Richardson • Apr 15, 2014
Public Safety Commissioner criticizes APD’s sting operations
A member of the city’s Public Safety Commission is criticizing the Austin Police Department’s tactics in two recent sting operations in the downtown area. Commissioner Kent Anschutz last week accused police of clogging the jails and courts with people accused…
Public Safety • By Gene Davis • Apr 14, 2014
Public Safety Commissioners voice concerns over SXSW security
In their first meeting since the South by Southwest drunken driving tragedy that killed four people, Public Safety Commissioners voiced their concerns Monday that aspects of the festival are growing out of control. Commission Chair Kim Rossmo said the…
Public Safety • By Gene Davis • Apr 8, 2014
Building and Standards Commission eases sanction for code violations
An Austin homeowner facing a glut of building code violations says his house was not inspected before he bought it in 2005, during the national housing bubble. Austin’s Building and Standards Commission voted unanimously last week to give homeowner…
Development • By Kara Nuzback • Mar 31, 2014
Despite tragedy, the beat goes on at SXSW
After an early morning tragedy that left two people dead and sent 23 others to local hospitals, stunned city officials spent most of Thursday working through the grief and trying to keep the South by Southwest Music festival on track.…
