EMMA FREER Published November 1, 2022 AUSTIN (Austin Monitor) – With the city of Austin eager to reach an expedited agreement for a new police labor contract that expands civilian oversight, the police union is demanding higher wages for officers – or no deal. Lowell Denton, an outside attorney and labor negotiator for the city,… Read more »
SafeTX, a nonprofit, educates Austin and Travis County voters on public safety issues.
A city as vibrant and thriving as Austin must also be safe. EMS, Fire, and Police departments face staffing crises. Police patrol vacancies are at historic highs and exceed annual training academy capacity. As a result, response times and public safety have suffered.
Unless the Austin City Council acts, public safety will end up like affordability, homelessness, and transportation: too far behind to catch up. As of mid-October, EMS has 162 vacancies (24 percent), Fire has 87 vacancies (7 percent), and Police has 277 vacancies (15 percent).
Austin needs significant investments to improve public safety.
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Travis County voters: Some things to know before early voting
TAYLOR GIRTMAN Published October 26, 2022 TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Early voting is underway in Texas. Early voting started Monday, Oct. 24 and will end Friday, Nov. 4. Some voting information, like polling sites and ballot items, varies by county. Here’s a guide to early voting in Travis County. What’s on Travis County ballots? All Texas… Read more »
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With Austin’s 911 call center in ‘crisis,’ city and police leaders seek to boost staffing
BEN THOMPSON Published October 25, 2022 Community Impact – Austin residents can expect to wait an average of 2 and a half minutes for their 911 calls to be answered with the city’s 911 call center currently short around 70 staffers—a “crisis” situation that city and police leaders are hoping to address with an ongoing… Read more »