AP Photo/Eric Gay
The Austin Police Department is in a state of crisis. More cuts to specialized APD units are coming this year, thanks to the “reimagining” of police led by Mayor Steve Adler and Councilmember Greg Casar. Travis County, meanwhile, steps up targeting police officers for prosecution.
According to an internal document provided to PJ Media, several units face deep cuts or outright elimination by summer’s end. The Sex Offender Apprehension and Registration (SOAR) unit is losing its officer positions, according to the APD document. Local Fox 7 TV has previously reported some of the cuts.
PJ Media’s source, who wishes to remain off the record, said: “As more units are cut, work conditions for those who stay will continue to deteriorate, causing more folks to leave, causing more units to be cut, and so on. It is basically a death spiral.”
The
Travis County District Attorney’s Office, led by
José Garza, has announced a major shift in policies and practice to better support survivors of “interpersonal violence,” including domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Announced today (Friday, Feb. 25), the new policies will go into effect immediately, though some aspects, such as a
new community advisory board, won t be finalized for another month or two. The office’s three-page announcement highlights four areas of focus: Prioritize victims; ensure access to justice for all victims; collaborate with community advocates and experts; and improve transparency. Together, the changes are “designed to ensure that victims of interpersonal violence and complex trauma know that reporting their abuse or harm will not mean they are retraumatized, ignored, or accused of not being credible,” according to the announcement.
Margaret Moore to lead the newly formed
Ci
vil Rights Division in 2017, will stay on as one of a small number of Moore hires who will continue working under Garza. (
Guillermo Gonzalez, Moore s Trial Division director, will also remain in his position.)
In some ways, the prosecution of two high-profile cases involving LEOs – the killings of
Michael Ramos on April 24, 2020, and of
Javier Ambler on March 28, 2019 – will serve as a test for Gilford. Garza s administration has faced pressure from the victims families in both cases to seek justice, and the public will be watching the outcome of each prosecution closely. How these cases are handled will help inform whether or not Gilford is a good fit for Garza s new vision for a D.A. office focused on improving accountability of law enforcement while decreasing the number of people entering the system.