The city of Austin will begin a pilot program next month that will deploy a multi – disciplinary team to deal with mental health related problems within the downtown area. The team will include professionals from Austin, Travis County EMS, the Austin Police Department (APD) and Integral Care. As Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mark Escott […]
Austin City Council Public Safety Committee
A City Council committee that reviews safety issues, including code enforcement, disaster preparedness and criminal justice.
Posted inPolice
External review finds data inconsistencies in APD reporting on use of force
During a special called meeting of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, Dr. Robin Engel, a Senior Research Scientist at The Ohio State University, presented findings from a recent re-examination of the Austin Police Department’s use of force. Engel said she found the department’s data analyses to be “rudimentary, inconsistent, and inaccurate,” among other concerns. […]
Posted inPublic Safety
City considers acquiring new combined HQ for police, fire and EMS
Next week, City Council will consider approving a $107.8 million allocation to acquire an office campus along South MoPac Expressway that would serve as a consolidated headquarters for the city’s public safety agencies, which are located in outdated and cramped facilities across the city. If approved, the headquarters would house the Austin Police Department, Austin […]
Posted inPolice
Staff shortages are still a problem at APD
Before a scheduled briefing on the Austin Police Department’s community policing program, members of the City Council Public Safety Committee heard a pitch from Ethan Cheramie of On Scene Services proposing that his company take over the duties of officers who respond to motor vehicle collisions in Austin. Cheramie, the only speaker during citizen communication […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Austin’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management to get a communication tuneup, among other changes
An update from Ken Snipes, director of Austin’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management, to the Public Safety Committee showed a shifting approach in how the department is being run. Snipes told the committee that, due to “a multitude of threats and threat types,” his department would be shifting to an “all hazards approach” that will […]
Posted inPolice
Report finds mixed progress in APD’s work to implement police academy reforms
In assessing the latest analysis of the Austin Police Department’s Training Academy, members of City Council stressed the importance of a comprehensive audit system to ensure that years and money spent to improve the academy aren’t wasted. Concerns over the audits for the training process of each academy class, as well as the need for […]
Posted inPolice
APD Training Academy audit shows improvement – but not enough to curb attrition
An external audit of the Austin Police Department’s 148th cadet class, which graduated in September, shows progress in “reimagining public safety,” but attrition remains a constant challenge. Under internal audit protocols developed by Kroll Associates in March 2022, APD is required to report to City Council the progress of each cadet class and of ongoing […]
Posted inPolice
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 the city’s Public Safety Committee on Monday. Under internal audit protocols developed by Kroll Associates […]
Posted inFire
Fleet Mobility Services working to fix air conditioning in fire trucks
In late July, City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly wrote a memo pointing out that 20 trucks within the Austin Fire Department’s fleet “are currently lacking functioning air conditioning systems.” Not only is that a risk for firefighters, she wrote, but it also “jeopardizes the department’s ability to respond effectively to emergencies.” On Monday, Rick Harland, […]
Posted inPolice
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 recommendation, which calls for “significant community engagement,” as well as parameters defining “goals, time periods, […]
Posted inPolice
APD, DPS brief Public Safety Committee on suspended partnership
More than a week after the Austin Police Department announced its controversial partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety had come to a close, law enforcement officials on Monday briefed the city’s Public Safety Committee on the now-defunct deployment and responded – again – to City Council members’ concerns about equity and transparency. Austin […]
Posted inPolice
APD pushes for return of license plate readers, nixed during 2020 police budget cuts
The Austin Police Department advocated for the reinstatement of automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, during a May 23 presentation to the city’s Public Safety Committee, reigniting long-standing concerns about privacy and data sharing among law enforcement agencies. City Council canceled APD’s license plate reader contracts during the 2020-21 budget process, which reduced the department’s […]