The Greater Austin Crime Commission, in partnership with the University of Texas, this spring produced a comprehensive review and analysis of police force strength issues which is invaluable in considering public safety funding. The points brought up in the overview of the Austin Police Department staffing are:
- Austin is one of the nation’s safest cities, but rapid growth strains public safety resources;
- New metro resident estimates range from 110-158 net arrivals daily;
- While the violent crime rate is lower than cities of comparable size, property crime is 8 percent higher and theft is 28 percent higher;
- Traditional police staffing formulas based on population are outdated;
- Police force strength should be based on community engagement time which is the time patrol officers have for community policing when not responding to calls for service;
- During the past five years, the APD’s total community engagement (or ‘uncommitted’) time for patrol officers citywide declined from 33 to 19 percent;
- Studies of best practices show community engagement time goals ranging from 25-50 percent;
- Hiring 82 additional officers per year between Fiscal year 2016-2020 will make it possible for the APD to reach a goal of 30 percent community engagement time over five years.
The budget forecast for FY 2016 includes 82 officer positions for $10.4 million, but does not include other requested commissioned positions including two for the Property Crimes Task Force, one for the Police Activities League, and 18 for investigative and support units (auto theft, burglary, computer forensics, DWI, and robbery).
An additional 67 civilian personnel are not included in the FY 2016 forecast generally including 911 call takers, communications and system support staff, evidence control specialists, latent print examiners, crime scene specialists, records analyst, property crime technicians, victim/witness counselors, open records specialists, and various administrative support personnel. The staffing and workload analysis suggests 410 additional patrol officers are needed over the next five years to reach police department goal of 30 percent community engagement time.
We urge you contact your District’s City Council member and Mayor Adler to express your support for funding of commissioned and civilian personnel of the Austin Police Department for FY 2016 and encourage your city council representative and the Mayor to vote in favor of the APD budget request.
This is the budget schedule: council work sessions through August 13; Department presentations to the council are August 12 and 13; first public hearing on the budget is August 20; budget adoption set for Sept. 8-10. The council is not in session during July.
Here is the email addresses for all City Council members:
Steve.Adler@austintexas.gov
Ora.Houston@austintexas.gov
Delia.Garza@austintexas.gov
Sabino.Renteria@austintexas.gov
Gregorio.Casar@austintexas.gov
Ann.Kitchen@austintexas.gov
Don.Zimmerman@austintexas.gov
Leslie.Pool@austintexas.gov
Ellen.Troxclair@austintexas.gov
Kathie.Tovo@austintexas.gov
Sheri.Gallo@austintexas.gov
- Austin is one of the nation’s safest cities, but rapid growth strains public safety resources;
- New metro resident estimates range from 110-158 net arrivals daily;
- While the violent crime rate is lower than cities of comparable size, property crime is 8 percent higher and theft is 28 percent higher;
- Traditional police staffing formulas based on population are outdated;
- Police force strength should be based on community engagement time which is the time patrol officers have for community policing when not responding to calls for service;
- During the past five years, the APD’s total community engagement (or ‘uncommitted’) time for patrol officers citywide declined from 33 to 19 percent;
- Studies of best practices show community engagement time goals ranging from 25-50 percent;
- Hiring 82 additional officers per year between Fiscal year 2016-2020 will make it possible for the APD to reach a goal of 30 percent community engagement time over five years.
The budget forecast for FY 2016 includes 82 officer positions for $10.4 million, but does not include other requested commissioned positions including two for the Property Crimes Task Force, one for the Police Activities League, and 18 for investigative and support units (auto theft, burglary, computer forensics, DWI, and robbery).
An additional 67 civilian personnel are not included in the FY 2016 forecast generally including 911 call takers, communications and system support staff, evidence control specialists, latent print examiners, crime scene specialists, records analyst, property crime technicians, victim/witness counselors, open records specialists, and various administrative support personnel. The staffing and workload analysis suggests 410 additional patrol officers are needed over the next five years to reach police department goal of 30 percent community engagement time.
We urge you contact your District’s City Council member and Mayor Adler to express your support for funding of commissioned and civilian personnel of the Austin Police Department for FY 2016 and encourage your city council representative and the Mayor to vote in favor of the APD budget request.
This is the budget schedule: council work sessions through August 13; Department presentations to the council are August 12 and 13; first public hearing on the budget is August 20; budget adoption set for Sept. 8-10. The council is not in session during July.
Here is the email addresses for all City Council members:
Steve.Adler@austintexas.gov
Ora.Houston@austintexas.gov
Delia.Garza@austintexas.gov
Sabino.Renteria@austintexas.gov
Gregorio.Casar@austintexas.gov
Ann.Kitchen@austintexas.gov
Don.Zimmerman@austintexas.gov
Leslie.Pool@austintexas.gov
Ellen.Troxclair@austintexas.gov
Kathie.Tovo@austintexas.gov
Sheri.Gallo@austintexas.gov
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