City of Austin suspends partnership with Texas Department of Public Safety

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Interim City Manager Jesús Garza announced Wednesday that he has suspended the City’s partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety with the approval of Mayor Kirk Watson.

“From the start of this partnership with DPS, I said I wanted Austinites to feel safe and be safe. Recent events demonstrate we need to suspend the partnership with DPS. The safety of our community is a primary function of City government, and we must keep trying to get it right,” Watson said.

Watson didn’t specify to which recent events he referred. On Monday, a DPS trooper was involved in a chase and shot a suspect in the arm.

“This partnership was an innovative approach to address acute staffing shortages that were years in the making. However, any approach must be in sync with Austin values,” Watson continued.

The partnership was first announced on March 27 and started March 30. It was created in consultation with Watson, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov Dan Patrick to support staffing shortages in APD. In May, DPS temporarily halted the partnership as troopers headed to border cities in the wake of the Title 42 immigration restrictions lifting. Troopers resumed work alongside APD at the beginning of July.

According to a press release, the partnership has led to a decrease in violent and gun crime, fewer traffic fatalities, shorter response times to calls for assistance, and seizures of significant amounts of illicit drugs, including fentanyl and heroin.

“Public safety is at the very core of what we do in city government and this partnership was a practical approach as the Austin Police Department faces serious staffing challenges,” Garza said. “We have heard Mayor and Council’s concerns about recent events and agree that we must have absolute certainty that any solution we put in place maintains the trust and well-being of our community members and that all law enforcement officers working to keep our city safe are on the same page when it comes to policing practices.”

APD Chief Joseph Chacon sent an email to city employees shortly after the city sent its release Wednesday, noting “questions from council and community have arisen.”

“While this news is disappointing, I know that each of you are working hard to keep our community safe and that you will continue this important work,” Chacon wrote. “Thank you for all that you are doing.”

On Monday, Bruce Mills, Austin Interim Assistant City Manager, spoke at the Public Safety Commission hearing during discussions about the partnership. He noted then “We’re at a point in this city where we don’t have enough officers to police the city by ourselves. So the — you know, obviously, you can see I’m in support of the partnership, because it’s out of necessity.”