
<p>A member of the City Council in Austin, TX was put on hold for nearly 30 minutes Saturday night when she called the police to report a “street racing takeover.” The incident occurred late Saturday night at the intersection of South Lamar Boulevard and Barton Springs Road. ;</p>



<p>Crowds of people watched in disbelief as cars drifted across the street and drivers launched fireworks into the sky. At least one officer was injured and several police vehicles were damaged when the cops finally arrived to put a stop to the chaos.  ;</p>



<p>“[I am] increasingly concerned about our police vacancies,” said Council member Mackenzie Kelly. “The possibility of a catastrophic cascading failure due to lack of support from our police department puts the city, its residents, and visitors at risk of danger.” ;</p>



<p>As reported by <em>Fox News,</em> the Austin Police Department (APD) has struggled for months to staff its emergency communications division and basic patrol teams. </p>



<p>In August 2022, APD was forced to pull more than 460 officers from specialized units like SWAT, Homicide, and Child Abuse to fill patrol vacancies. Several specialized units were disbanded and lowered minimum staffing requirements were announced. </p>



<p>“We are in a crisis right now,” said APD Assistant Chief Jerry Bauzon last summer when the department faced a deficit of more than 250 positions. “I think citywide and, again, nationwide, world, everyone that works in public safety is seeing the same human resource crisis as we’re experiencing…They’re leaving for other jobs because, again, of the stress and other reasons.” ;</p>



<p>In July 2022, the average hold time for 911 calls on a busy night in Austin was roughly 30 minutes. Data from October shows that roughly two-thirds of emergency calls were answered within 15 seconds (the national standard is 90%) and the average hold time for 911 calls was about two-and-one-half minutes. ;</p>



<p>This data is a direct result of Austin’s 2020 decision to slash police funding and cancel three police academy classes. The decision was made with support from then-Mayor Steve Adler (D) at the height of the “defund the police movement.”</p>



<p>While a majority of that funding has since been restored, the department has struggled to hire officers and find new recruits following an uptick in retirements and resignations stemming from the 2020 protests and resulting anti-police sentiment. </p>



<p><em>Making matters worse is Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, who has indicted more than 12 APD officers for actions taken during the anti-police riots in 2020.</em> <em>Analysts say it will take between six and eight years for the department to catch up on staffing.</em></p>



<p>“You know, you’ve had a loved one that’s been shot or abused by a stranger or sexually abused by a family member, and you call that detective and they tell you he or she is not able to answer the phone,” laments Ken Casaday, President of the Austin Police Association. “Can they call back next week or the week after because they’re out answering 911 calls for the next two weeks. &#8220;</p>



<p>Despite the evidence that change is drastically needed in Austin, a majority of City Council members voted this week to extend the current one-year contract between the city and the Association. ;</p>



<p>“We can improve reasonable police oversight. Accountability is critical to maintain the bonds of trust between police and community,” said one of only two Council members who voted on a four-year contract backed by the Association. “But the simple fact is that we need more police officers in this city, patrolling our streets, downtown, and major events. We need more police responding to calls for service. We need more police to reinstate specialized units. This must be an urgent priority for the new mayor and the City Council.”</p>



<p>Austin’s newly-elected Mayor, Kirk Watson (D), has yet to comment on Saturday’s incident. ;<em>Watson, a former State Senator who served as Austin’s Mayor from 1997 to 2001, defeated Texas State Rep. Celia Israel (D) in December 2022.</em></p>



<p><strong>Sources:</strong></p>



<p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/austin-police-911-staffing-levels-questioned-street-racers-take-major-intersection-injure-cop">Austin police, 911 staffing levels questions after street racers take over major intersection, injure cop ;</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.kvue.com/article/news/investigations/defenders/austin-police-patrol-officer-shortage/269-16f38194-2ffb-4f02-becc-3b4db6375f20">‘We are in a crisis right now.’ APD Assistant Chief Jerry Bauzon speaks on patrol officer shortage ;</a></p>



<p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/19/us/police-staffing-shortages-recruitment/index.html">‘We need them desperately’: US police departments struggle with critical staffing shortages ;</a></p>

Austin Police “Defunded” – Plagued by Chaos and Slow Response
