Tag Archives: Austin Police Department
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Public Safety
APD investigates causes of traffic fatalities
As busy and congested as Austin streets have become, drivers have managed to keep the number of traffic fatalities from rising over the last few years.“We’re on a four-year downward trend,” Ron MacKay, Austin Police Department’s crime analysis division manager,…
Friday, March 8, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Police
APD racial profiling statistics hold steady despite dip in traffic stops
Each year, the Austin Police Department releases a report to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement detailing the number of traffic stops and searches it makes and categorizing them by race. Recently released statistics show that while the Austin Police Department…
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Public Safety
Council-mandated sexual assault process review comes before Public Safety Commission
After City Council ordered an independent review of the Austin Police Department’s handling of sexual assault cases, the city manager’s office went straight to work. Staffers requested proposals from non-governmental entities with expertise in the prosecution of the crime to…
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Public Safety
In Austin, violent crime is down but hot spots persist
As Austin continues to experience explosive growth as it transforms into one of the nation’s larger metro areas, concerns about big-city-sized crime abound.However, despite meteoric growth, overall violent crime is down. Ron MacKay, the crime analysis division manager with APD,…
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 by Nadia Hamdan
Courts
Sexual assault survivor accuses Travis County prosecutor of lying about her case
Lawyers for a woman who says she was sexually assaulted in Austin are asking a court to force Travis County prosecutors to answer questions and provide evidence after learning of a prosecutor’s phone call they say defames the woman.Emily Borchardt…
Monday, March 4, 2019 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporters Notebook: APD on ICE
Life after SB 4… Following Texas’ Senate Bill 4, also known as the “Sanctuary City bill,” Austin City Council asked that all instances of city collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement be tracked. A Feb. 28 memo from Austin Police Chief…
Tuesday, February 5, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Police
APD Chief Manley addresses sexual assault audit
At the beginning of 2019, Austin Police Department Chief Brian Manley called for a third-party audit of the department’s sexual assault cases. State auditors subsequently found that detectives had wrongly “exceptionally cleared” nearly a third of rape cases over a three-month…
Tuesday, February 5, 2019 by Andrew Weber
Transportation
Austin records first traffic death involving rented scooter
A 21-year-old scooter rider was killed in a crash last week, says the Austin Police Department. According to the department, it’s the first death related to a rented scooter in Austin.Police say Mark Sands was riding a Lime scooter on the…
Friday, February 1, 2019 by Audrey McGlinchy
City Council
City of Austin orders outside review of police handling of sexual assault cases
The city has ordered an independent review of the Austin Police Department’s handling of sexual assault cases, asking investigators to track incidents from when they’re first reported to police to when they’re closed or handed off to the district attorney’s…
Monday, January 28, 2019 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: At long last, an end
Casar wins!… Friday’s news that the Texas Supreme Court has ended the long-running legal battle over the 2014 District 4 City Council race between since-re-elected Greg Casar and former opponent Laura Pressley broke quickly on Twitter, and came with a…
Thursday, January 17, 2019 by Audrey McGlinchy
Police
Austin Police Department orders outside audit after state finds it misclassified cleared rape cases
The Austin Police Department has ordered a third-party audit of rape investigations after state auditors found it misclassified certain rape cases.“This review will look from the beginning to the end,” Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said. “From the moment we…
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 by Audrey McGlinchy
Police
Advocates say APD should focus less on how rape cases are coded and more on solving them
When Austin Police Chief Brian Manley announced last week that state auditors had found problems with the way police classify rape cases, some people were not shocked by the news.“It wasn’t a huge surprise to us,” said Kristen Lenau, who…
Tuesday, January 8, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Police
Police department still waiting for explanation of DPS audit of sexual assault clearance rates
On New Year’s Eve, Austin Police Department Chief Brian Manley gave a press conference in which he noted that nearly two-thirds of the sexual assault cases reviewed by Texas Department of Public Safety from January, November and December of 2017…
Thursday, December 20, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Police
2018: Manley takes the helm at APD
From a public safety standpoint, Austin police officers went through the wringer in 2018. Most of the year was spent without a contract with the city, in March a serial bomber created terror, and in July the entire fleet of…
Thursday, November 29, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Police
Office of the Police Monitor building a police oversight agency
For 16 years, the Office of the Police Monitor has been available for citizens and city staff to issue complaints against law enforcement. However, it appears not many Austinites take advantage of its services.Police Monitor Farah Muscadin found that of…
Friday, November 16, 2018 by Andrew Weber
Police
Council approves labor contract with police after a year without one
Officers with the Austin Police Department are getting a new labor contract.After nearly a year of negotiations, City Council members unanimously approved a four-year and $44.6 million contract between the city and the local police union. Police reform activists celebrated…
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 by Andrew Weber
Austin
Austin reconsiders homelessness ordinances as Houston laws are challenged in court
It’s a new fiscal year for the city of Austin, and one of the myriad items on City Council agendas over the next year will be an overhaul of ordinances relating to homelessness. That won’t be easy, as federal courts…
Tuesday, October 2, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Public Safety
Low morale in Austin’s public safety departments requires attention
The Public Safety Commission heard a variety of concerns at its Oct. 1 meeting in regards to the chronic low morale that public safety officers are experiencing within their respective departments.“It is pretty unanimous the officers are really getting tired…
Thursday, September 27, 2018 by Jo Clifton
Police
APD to make changes in mental health cases
As a result of Austin Police Department policies, “people experiencing a mental health crisis in Austin may be at higher risk of having a negative police interaction than people in a city that more closely aligns with best practices,” according…
Wednesday, September 5, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Police
Office of the Police Monitor looks to revamp complaint process
According to a recent study by the Office of the Police Monitor, for many in Austin, being seen is being heard.At the Sept. 4 special called meeting of the Public Safety Commission, Police Monitor Farah Muscadin explained that many people…
