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Police

Austin slowly expands police oversight powers voters passed in the spring

Months after Austinites overwhelmingly passed a sweeping measure calling for stronger police oversight, the City Council voted Thursday to set hard deadlines for staff to expand the Office of Police Oversight’s power. The resolution was approved 10 to 1, with Council Member Mackenzie…

Vela's call for transparency would require police to release detailed data monthly

Austin Police Department may soon be required to regularly publish comprehensive data on the city’s digital portal in a move to add transparency and address a backlog of thousands of public information requests. City Council is set to consider a…

Austin police chief turnover follows national trends

Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon’s recent announcement that he will retire ushers in the city’s third search for a top cop in just over five years.  Experts say police chief turnover is an enduring challenge catalyzed in recent years by…

Council delays transfer of 37 civilian position to APD, citing transparency concerns

Before City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget, which includes record-high police funding, District 4 Council Member Chito Vela proposed an amendment delaying the transfer of 37 full-time civilian staff positions to the Austin Police Department, citing a need…

Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon announces retirement

Chief Joseph Chacon will leave the Austin Police Department next month. Chacon told interim City Manager Jesús Garza of his plans to retire last week, city leaders said, and he officially gave his notice Monday morning. He has served in…

Austin Police Department Training Academy attrition remains high amid reforms

An Austin Police Department audit revealed high attrition rates among recent cadet classes amid ongoing reforms and persistent staffing shortages.  Police leadership reported the inaugural audit’s findings – based on the 147th cadet class, which graduated in May – to…

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Council OKs lawsuit settlements related to injuries, land

City Council agreed Thursday to settle five lawsuits, including paying $1.2 million to a protester who was injured during the protests outside the Austin Police Department in May 2020. Bomani Barton, who was shot by a police officer with three…

Wait, so, what's going on with DPS patrols in Austin?

The city of Austin has ended its agreement with the Texas Department of Public Safety to have state troopers supplement citywide police patrols. Mayor Kirk Watson and interim City Manager Jesús Garza decided to end the partnership Wednesday, after a…

Austin again suspends its patrol partnership with DPS

Lee esta historia en español The city of Austin says it won’t forge ahead with its partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety to supplement police patrols. The plan was initially rolled out this spring but was met with…

Public Safety Commission recommends guardrails for APD-DPS partnership – or ending it

The Public Safety Commission recommended that City Council establish a plan governing the recently resumed partnership between the Austin Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety – or discontinue it altogether.  Commissioners voted on Monday to approve the…

Austin Police Department keeps running on overtime

In January 2019, the Austin Monitor reported that APD had 110 vacancies and was making up for those vacancies by paying officers overtime. On Monday, Assistant Police Chief James Mason told the Public Safety Commission the department now has 329…

Interim city manager updates Office of Police Oversight procedures

Austin’s Office of Police Oversight has been in limbo in recent years. Its authority to investigate allegations of police misconduct was dismantled in 2021. Its director, Farah Muscadin, resigned in 2022. The city’s police labor contract expired – without a…

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