TWELVE. Yes, 12 officers.
In spite of two studies by outside consultants ordered by the city council which both reinforced the need for more sworn APD officers and civilian staff, the proposed budget for FY 2016-17 offered by City Manager Marc Ott contains funding for 12 new sworn positions and 21 new civilian positions to move existing sworn officers back to patrol (total of 33). APD needs more than 100 new patrol positions. TWELVE - that's an insult.
To help fill the gap the Department is planning to move some sworn officers to patrol and replacing with civilian positions. The impact of possibly moving the majority of our District Representatives to patrol and using civilian staff instead would be detrimental to the community policing so needed in our neighborhoods. We need our DRs to stay as they are.
Plan to attend the city council public hearing on August 17 and city council meeting on August 18 when this portion of the budget will be addressed. Before then, contact our Mayor, your city council member, and all the other city council members to tell them to vote for the full funding request by APD and keep sworn officers in our DR positions.
Following is a press release from the Greater Austin Crime Commission detailing the history and impact of lack of funding by the city council in the past and the current dangerous position we face in police and public safety services in Austin. The email addresses for all members of the city council are at the end of the press release. Please take action to urge our elected representatives to fund public safety first.
By David L. Roche - Special to the American-Statesman
The Dallas shootings are a stark reminder of the risks police officers face every day to keep us safe. Our dedicated public safety professionals deserve the support of a thankful community and the resources to do their jobs.
As the Austin City Council begins work on next year’s municipal budget, it’s important to recognize the warning signs that show we’re falling further behind when it comes to public safety. Violent crime is up more than 19 percent compared to this time last year. Emergency and urgent dispatch calls have increased during the past five years, which has resulted in longer response times to calls for help. And time available for community policing has fallen to disturbingly low levels.
While it’s evident that rapid growth strains law enforcement, the Austin City Council has failed to adopt even minimum police staffing recommendations since 2012, when the first taxpayer-funded study confirmed Austin needs many more patrol officers.
Local police staffing shortages have made headlines in recent months. Hundreds of detectives are being pulled from investigations and assigned to patrol shifts as a stopgap. In a survey released last month, 90 percent of Austin police officers said manpower shortages are “seriously impacting” the department’s ability to do its job effectively. And almost half said “more officers” is the “biggest improvement” needed for the Austin Police Department to do its job.
Last year, the Austin City Council shorted the police budget by millions of dollars and dozens of uniformed positions. The city manager’s proposal to add patrol officers was cut by nearly a third after a unanimous council vote. Then the City Council decided to spend $200,000 on a study to determine the right police staffing levels. That report, which is due to be released this month, is expected to confirm the Austin Police Department is inadequately staffed and will recommend adding more than 100 patrol officer positions.
How many more taxpayer-funded studies do we need to tell us what we already know? In 2011, the City Council commissioned a patrol staffing study at a cost of nearly $100,000. Based on projected population growth and analysis that examined police staffing in patrol and investigations, the study recommended adding at least 257 sworn positions by 2017. The City Council approved only 22 new police personnel — patrol and supervisor — in 2013; 47 more sworn positions were added in 2014 and 59 the following year.
The proposed fiscal year 2016 budget introduced a better police staffing model based on community engagement time, not a population ratio. The new formula emphasizes effective community policing based on patrol officers having enough time to build relationships and trust in the neighborhoods they serve. Notably, an independent analysis of the improved model cautioned that the “recent failure of the city to implement the recommendations of the past three years for the number of police needed puts Austin in a precarious position on public safety.” The city manager’s 2016 fiscal-year budget proposed 85 additional patrol and supervisor positions based on a plan to increase staff to sufficient levels in the next five years, but the council approved just 50, putting the police department further behind.
The Greater Austin Crime Commission urges the mayor and council not to disregard the public safety challenges we face as they confront difficult budget choices. If ignored, public safety will end up like mobility and transportation: too far behind to catch up — and with far more grave and deadly consequences.
Police Chief Art Acevedo and his colleagues have the most difficult job in Austin. City leaders are only making it harder.
Roche is president of the Greater Austin Crime Commission. The Crime Commission was founded in 1997 to support Central Texas first responders and promote regional public safety planning.
==========
A message from David Roche, president of the Greater Austin Crime Commission
==========
As work begins on next year's municipal budget, please contact the Austin City Council and ask them to fund public safety first and release the latest taxpayer-funded community policy study.
Warning signs show that Austin is falling behind when it comes to public safety. Violent crime is up and response times to calls for help have increased. If ignored, public safety will end up like mobility and transportation: too far behind to catch up -- and with far more grave and deadly consequences.
Despite the Austin Police Department's request for more than a hundred new patrol positions, the proposed FY17 budget only includes 33. How many more taxpayer-funded police staffing studies do we need to tell us what we already know? Rapid growth strains public safety resources.
Your engagement is vital to this community discussion. Forward to family and friends and ask them to send the same message to the mayor and council -- fund public safety first.
==========
To e-mail the mayor and entire Austin City Council click HERE.
==========
Contact the mayor and council individually using the information below.
Mayor Steve Adler
512-978-2100
steve.adler@austintexas.gov
Ora Houston
Council Member (District 1)
512-978-2101
ora.houston@austintexas.gov
Delia Garza
Council Member (District 2)
512-978-2102
delia.garza@austintexas.gov
Sabino "Pio" Renteria
Council Member (District 3)
512-978-2103
sabino.renteria@austintexas.gov
Gregorio "Greg" Casar
Council Member (District 4)
512-978-2104
gregorio.casar@austintexas.gov
Ann Kitchen
Council Member (District 5)
512-978-2105
ann.kitchen@austintexas.gov
Don Zimmerman
Council Member (District 6)
512-978-2106
don.zimmerman@austintexas.gov
Leslie Pool
Council Member (District 7)
512-978-2107
leslie.pool@austintexas.gov
Ellen Troxclair
Council Member (District 8)
512-978-2108
ellen.troxclair@austintexas.gov
Kathie Tovo
Council Member (District 9)
512-978-2109
kathie.tovo@austintexas.gov
Sheri Gallo
Council Member (District 10)
512-978-2110
sheri.gallo@austintexas.gov
Greater Austin Crime Commission
Post Office Box 27016
Austin, Texas 78755
512-482-8107 Phone
512-482-8129 Fax
info@austincrime.org
In spite of two studies by outside consultants ordered by the city council which both reinforced the need for more sworn APD officers and civilian staff, the proposed budget for FY 2016-17 offered by City Manager Marc Ott contains funding for 12 new sworn positions and 21 new civilian positions to move existing sworn officers back to patrol (total of 33). APD needs more than 100 new patrol positions. TWELVE - that's an insult.
To help fill the gap the Department is planning to move some sworn officers to patrol and replacing with civilian positions. The impact of possibly moving the majority of our District Representatives to patrol and using civilian staff instead would be detrimental to the community policing so needed in our neighborhoods. We need our DRs to stay as they are.
Plan to attend the city council public hearing on August 17 and city council meeting on August 18 when this portion of the budget will be addressed. Before then, contact our Mayor, your city council member, and all the other city council members to tell them to vote for the full funding request by APD and keep sworn officers in our DR positions.
Following is a press release from the Greater Austin Crime Commission detailing the history and impact of lack of funding by the city council in the past and the current dangerous position we face in police and public safety services in Austin. The email addresses for all members of the city council are at the end of the press release. Please take action to urge our elected representatives to fund public safety first.
By David L. Roche - Special to the American-Statesman
The Dallas shootings are a stark reminder of the risks police officers face every day to keep us safe. Our dedicated public safety professionals deserve the support of a thankful community and the resources to do their jobs.
As the Austin City Council begins work on next year’s municipal budget, it’s important to recognize the warning signs that show we’re falling further behind when it comes to public safety. Violent crime is up more than 19 percent compared to this time last year. Emergency and urgent dispatch calls have increased during the past five years, which has resulted in longer response times to calls for help. And time available for community policing has fallen to disturbingly low levels.
While it’s evident that rapid growth strains law enforcement, the Austin City Council has failed to adopt even minimum police staffing recommendations since 2012, when the first taxpayer-funded study confirmed Austin needs many more patrol officers.
Local police staffing shortages have made headlines in recent months. Hundreds of detectives are being pulled from investigations and assigned to patrol shifts as a stopgap. In a survey released last month, 90 percent of Austin police officers said manpower shortages are “seriously impacting” the department’s ability to do its job effectively. And almost half said “more officers” is the “biggest improvement” needed for the Austin Police Department to do its job.
Last year, the Austin City Council shorted the police budget by millions of dollars and dozens of uniformed positions. The city manager’s proposal to add patrol officers was cut by nearly a third after a unanimous council vote. Then the City Council decided to spend $200,000 on a study to determine the right police staffing levels. That report, which is due to be released this month, is expected to confirm the Austin Police Department is inadequately staffed and will recommend adding more than 100 patrol officer positions.
How many more taxpayer-funded studies do we need to tell us what we already know? In 2011, the City Council commissioned a patrol staffing study at a cost of nearly $100,000. Based on projected population growth and analysis that examined police staffing in patrol and investigations, the study recommended adding at least 257 sworn positions by 2017. The City Council approved only 22 new police personnel — patrol and supervisor — in 2013; 47 more sworn positions were added in 2014 and 59 the following year.
The proposed fiscal year 2016 budget introduced a better police staffing model based on community engagement time, not a population ratio. The new formula emphasizes effective community policing based on patrol officers having enough time to build relationships and trust in the neighborhoods they serve. Notably, an independent analysis of the improved model cautioned that the “recent failure of the city to implement the recommendations of the past three years for the number of police needed puts Austin in a precarious position on public safety.” The city manager’s 2016 fiscal-year budget proposed 85 additional patrol and supervisor positions based on a plan to increase staff to sufficient levels in the next five years, but the council approved just 50, putting the police department further behind.
The Greater Austin Crime Commission urges the mayor and council not to disregard the public safety challenges we face as they confront difficult budget choices. If ignored, public safety will end up like mobility and transportation: too far behind to catch up — and with far more grave and deadly consequences.
Police Chief Art Acevedo and his colleagues have the most difficult job in Austin. City leaders are only making it harder.
Roche is president of the Greater Austin Crime Commission. The Crime Commission was founded in 1997 to support Central Texas first responders and promote regional public safety planning.
==========
A message from David Roche, president of the Greater Austin Crime Commission
==========
As work begins on next year's municipal budget, please contact the Austin City Council and ask them to fund public safety first and release the latest taxpayer-funded community policy study.
Warning signs show that Austin is falling behind when it comes to public safety. Violent crime is up and response times to calls for help have increased. If ignored, public safety will end up like mobility and transportation: too far behind to catch up -- and with far more grave and deadly consequences.
Despite the Austin Police Department's request for more than a hundred new patrol positions, the proposed FY17 budget only includes 33. How many more taxpayer-funded police staffing studies do we need to tell us what we already know? Rapid growth strains public safety resources.
Your engagement is vital to this community discussion. Forward to family and friends and ask them to send the same message to the mayor and council -- fund public safety first.
==========
To e-mail the mayor and entire Austin City Council click HERE.
==========
Contact the mayor and council individually using the information below.
Mayor Steve Adler
512-978-2100
steve.adler@austintexas.gov
Ora Houston
Council Member (District 1)
512-978-2101
ora.houston@austintexas.gov
Delia Garza
Council Member (District 2)
512-978-2102
delia.garza@austintexas.gov
Sabino "Pio" Renteria
Council Member (District 3)
512-978-2103
sabino.renteria@austintexas.gov
Gregorio "Greg" Casar
Council Member (District 4)
512-978-2104
gregorio.casar@austintexas.gov
Ann Kitchen
Council Member (District 5)
512-978-2105
ann.kitchen@austintexas.gov
Don Zimmerman
Council Member (District 6)
512-978-2106
don.zimmerman@austintexas.gov
Leslie Pool
Council Member (District 7)
512-978-2107
leslie.pool@austintexas.gov
Ellen Troxclair
Council Member (District 8)
512-978-2108
ellen.troxclair@austintexas.gov
Kathie Tovo
Council Member (District 9)
512-978-2109
kathie.tovo@austintexas.gov
Sheri Gallo
Council Member (District 10)
512-978-2110
sheri.gallo@austintexas.gov
Greater Austin Crime Commission
Post Office Box 27016
Austin, Texas 78755
512-482-8107 Phone
512-482-8129 Fax
info@austincrime.org
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