City debuts new Public Records Center

The process for submitting and managing public information requests should now be a little easier and more efficient, after the city’s recent overhaul of the system. Anyone requesting information will create a password-protected customer account to submit a request to the city of Austin or Austin Police Department. Accounts can be used to access and manage requests, track progress on requests, retrieve files and documents, and view and pay invoices. The updated system also includes a “trending topics” section, in an effort to streamline requests for information related to more popular matters. Journalists and members of the public can access the new system through the same URLs as before: austintexas.gov/public-information-request and austintexas.gov/pir. There is a detailed guide to the new system here, as well as a quick reference guide for making requests to APD here.