Tag Archives: Public Safety Commission
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Public Safety
City continues to work toward Vision Zero goals
As of this past weekend, there have been 48 traffic fatalities in Austin since the beginning of the year. The city, according to an ambitious plan passed three years ago, would like to bring the number of annual traffic deaths…
Friday, August 9, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Fire
AFD under fire for handling of sexual harassment claim despite policy updates
After Austin Fire Department Lieutenant James Baker pleaded guilty to hiding a camera and filming firefighter Kelly Gall in the fire station restroom, AFD revised its harassment policies and implemented the Electronic and Anonymous Reporting System.EARS is intended to bypass…
Thursday, August 8, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Police
Public Safety Commission recommends increased funding for mental health first responder program
The Austin Police Department is working to revamp its tactics when handling calls related to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. Fulfilling that goal starts with training officers so they are equipped to help in these tense situations.Public Safety Commissioner…
Wednesday, June 5, 2019 by Ryan Thornton
Public Safety
Public Safety Commission backs adoption of international wildfire code
The Public Safety Commission is again recommending tighter wildfire protection standards for structures built between the city’s wildlands and urban center.On Monday the commission endorsed adoption of a Wildland-Urban Interface Code that would expand ember protection and structure hardening regulations…
Wednesday, May 8, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Public Safety
Fire and police response times lagging due to low staffing
In an effort to serve citizens as quickly, efficiently and proficiently as possible, Austin public safety departments have response time goals. For the Fire Department, this means response times of eight minutes 90 percent of the time, while police should…
Tuesday, May 7, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Transportation
Commission zeros in on scooter safety
A landmark study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Austin Public Health Department documented that 192 dockless scooter riders were injured between Sept. 5 and Nov. 30 last year.During that time, “There were about two injuries…
Wednesday, April 3, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Budget
Public safety departments cite $3.5M in unmet needs
At Monday’s Public Safety Commission meeting, commissioners unanimously voted to send a memo to City Council recommending an additional $3.5 million in funding for the 2020 fiscal year. The money would fund initiatives including a $10,000 raise for future police…
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,…
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,…
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Public Safety
Travis County and its growing number of sexual assault response teams
Sexual assault has become a hot-button topic in Austin over the past several weeks. Of course, this sort of crime is nothing new; sexual violence has been with us for centuries and has always been difficult to deal with.In an…
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, December 4, 2018 by Jack Craver
Public Safety
Report: West Campus needs more lights
Two and a half years after the murder of a UT student spurred calls to improve safety in the West Campus neighborhood, campus safety advocates and city transportation officials say it’s time for the city to improve lighting in the…
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Fire
‘Mega-fires’ are real, but their size is anyone’s guess
When representatives from the Austin Fire Department spoke at the last meeting of the Public Safety Commission, they alluded to a “mega-fire” they said was imminent in West Austin.Although the term may sound alarming, Justice Jones, wildfire mitigation program manager…
Thursday, September 6, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Public Safety
For juveniles, no more curfew tickets does not mean more crime
Last September, City Council unanimously voted to end the late-night curfew for minors that had been on the books for 27 years. Those who made the case to nix the ordinance argued with data that showed that curfews do not…
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…
Tuesday, August 14, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Police
Citizen Review Panel audit brings up questions of document security
After 17 years of evaluation of the Austin Police Department by the Citizen Review Panel, not much happened. That is the conclusion that the Office of the City Auditor presented at the Aug. 6 meeting of the Public Safety Commission:…
Wednesday, August 8, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Public Safety
SAFE wants to help make Austin safer by reducing violence early
Relationship violence is a significant driver of violence in any city. However, it can be difficult for the police to do anything more than respond to incident calls; they cannot be caseworkers for those who are involved in violent relationships.In…
Monday, July 9, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Police
APD continues to push toward community-focused policing
Since the Austin Police Department made its switch to a more community-oriented focus last year, it has continued to plow forward in its efforts to reorient its policies and position APD more as a force for the people.In a presentation to…
Tuesday, June 5, 2018 by Jack Craver
Austin
The debate over decriminalizing homelessness
A campaign to decriminalize behaviors associated with homelessness got a boost Monday from the Public Safety Commission, which voted to approve a resolution that instructs the city manager to review ordinances that may “create barriers for people who are trying…
