Many of the cities that defunded police last year in a fit of social justice warrior-endorsed madness have reversed course once crime rates started spiraling. But Austin’s hard-left City Council seems stuck on stupid.
After the Austin police budget cut on top of the repeal of the public camping ban, Austin crime and disorder has gotten measurably worse. Austin police are also leaving in droves:
After the Austin city council voted unanimously to defund its police department by about one-third of its budget, in August 2020, many predicted that once the cuts kicked in a flood of officers would leave the force as soon as they could. The new district attorney’s policy of re-investigating police officers for closed cases is also expected to cause officers to resign or retire.
The city council’s cuts officially kicked in and have been in place for a few months.
PJ Media reports exclusively that APD is now suffering a huge surge of officer departures putting it on pace to shatter 2020’s record.
In January 2021, sources tell PJ Media 20 officers retired from APD and eight resigned, for a total of 28 departures.
In February 2021, five officers resigned and six retired, according to multiple sources, for a total of 11 departures.
In March 2021, 24 more officers left APD, with 20 officers retiring. Additionally, three officers resigned and one was terminated.
To put this into perspective, 2019 was the last non-pandemic year and the year before the city council cut APD’s budget. APD averages about 50 retirements or separations in a calendar year, and replaces them with cadets who have graduated from the police academy or officers who join APD from another force.
APD saw 46 officers retire with another 22 resigning in 2019, according to local TV news station KVUE.
2020’s numbers were exacerbated by the George Floyd riots; 78 officers departed or retired from APD from the beginning of those riots to the end of 2020, for a total of 89 separations, according to KVUE.
Official 2021 numbers provided to PJ Media by the Austin Police Retirement System (APRS) break down as follows:
- Prior to 2020, retirements averaged 50-52 per year over the last 5-6 years
- Record number of retirements in FY 2020: 97
- First-quarter 2021 retirements: 45
Add to those 45 retirements the 18 resignations or terminations, for a total of 63 separations in just the first quarter of 2021. If the current pace continues, APD could lose approximately 252 officers — about five times the average number of separations for a year. This will impact public safety across the board, and according to the APRS, can impact retirees’ benefits as well. APRS raised the alarm about the impact the city council’s cuts could have in September of 2020.
March 2021’s retirements hit all over the department, including tactical intelligence, gang crimes, narcotics enforcement, investigations, and the bomb squad, according to a full list provided to PJ Media. Traffic enforcement — both warnings and citations — has declined by more than 60% in the first two months of 2021, a source tells PJ Media.
At the same time, the city council’s cuts have forced the cancellation of police cadet classes. The department is losing experienced officers in droves and is unable to replace them with new officers.
Fewer officers means fewer officers to cover 911 calls, to the point that some 911 calls now result in “NUA”s: No Officer Available:
04/11/21 03:31
9500 N Lamar BlvdShoot/Stab Urgent: NUA Citywide (No Units Avail) IDA, CHAR, ADAM, EDWD, DAVD, BAKR, FRNK,GRGE, HENR. Subj with firearm. 1 female stabbed. Trans to Hosp.
#211010275 Dist 4: Gregorio “Greg” Casar @GregCasar #ResultsDefundingAPD
— Austin Police Association PIO 🚔 #APACrimeNet (@APACrimeNet) April 11, 2021
He led the charge to defund APD and cancel a cadet class. His antagonism towards officers have them leaving APD at an alarming rate.
A number of 911 calls this weekend were not responded to because NUA (No Units Available).
But sure, public safety, top priority. *wink, wink* https://t.co/863a06XlKQ
— Austin Skidrow (@AustinSkidrow) April 12, 2021
The situation is made worse by the fact that hard-left Travis County DA Jose Garza has announced he’s not prosecuting drug crimes, but is keen on indicting Austin police officers on even minor infractions:
Indicting police officers who have committed crimes is proper. Referring every allegation against a police officer to a grand jury—a promise Garza repeatedly made as a candidate–is not. It is not proper because it is not how allegations against all others are handled. Singling out persons based on their status is discriminatory and, ironically, itself an abuse of power. Such overt antagonism against law enforcement undoubtedly will erode cooperation between APD and the DA’s office and impact adversely criminal justice in Austin generally.
Garza clearly wants to promote a perception that police misconduct will not be tolerated and successfully indicting APD officers might serve that purpose. Failure to prosecute after indictment, however, ultimately will undermine public trust and confidence in Garza and his office. Garza’s hostility toward police can also engender public animosity toward APD as an organization. Effective policing requires community support. To the extent Garza persists in attacking APD as racist and corrupt, social and racial divisions will worsen and impede cooperation.
Snip.
Garza’s anti-law enforcement campaign closely resembled those of other Soros-backed socialist candidates for district attorney around the country. He promised to abolish the requirement of bail, to ignore laws he does not like and violations of those laws. He promised immunity to persons for conduct he considered status crimes. He promised to discriminate against police and to treat immigrants more favorably than citizens. Based on the actual policies of those DA’s elected in other large cities, it was entirely predictable that Garza would follow suit. My campaign sought to warn voters of the threat to public safety and security as evidenced by deteriorating conditions in cities like San Francisco, Portland and Chicago. Because Garza is an ideologue, he will not be deterred by the harm his policies will surely cause our community. He is more committed to his ideology than the rule of law.
Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Some. Face with rising murder rates, the Austin City Council finally relented and is allowing a new APD cadet class to be trained, though it looks like they’re going to try to cram “more community involvement” (a codeword for more far-left social justice warrior meddling) into the curriculum. And various bills are winding their way through the Texas legislature to address Austin’s idiocy.
A huge improvement, of course, will happen if Proposition B passes on May 1st. But expect Austin policing to continue to get short shrift as long as Garza, Austin mayor Steve Adler and the current City Council remain in office.
Tags: Austin, Austin City Council, Austin Police Department, Budget, George Soros, Jose Garza, Social Justice Warriors, Texas
Police were not invented to oppress. They were created to help create an orderly society.
Great job, Austin!
You are Pre London Robert Peel!
There was a justice system in Texas before it was Texas. You do not want to go back to that justice system. Rope, tree, some assembly required. Police, DAs and courts are the preferred justice system.
These far leftists did not wander into office one day by accident. Somebody had to vote them in. I’m looking at you, Austin