Rise in Black Crime in Austin, Texas Sees Police Ask Citizens to Call 311 Amid Staff Shortage... Shot. [Austin City Council cuts police department budget by one-third, mainly through reorganizing some duties out from law enforcement oversight, Texas Tribune, August 13, 2020]:
The Austin City Council unanimously voted to cut its police department budget by $150 million on Thursday, after officers and the city’s top cop faced months of criticism over the killing of an unarmed Black and Hispanic man, the use of force against anti-police brutality protesters and the investigation of a demonstrator’s fatal shooting by another citizen.
Those criticisms coincided with protests across Texas and the country calling for reforms on police tactics and the “defunding” of law enforcement in favor of redistributing funds to social services and alternative public safety programs. The council’s move makes Austin the first of Texas’ four biggest cities to drastically cut police department funding. The share of the police department budget that was cut is among the largest percentage decreases in the nation this year.
Council member Greg Casar, who crafted the three-tiered plan to reduce the police department budget, said when the Austin community organizes and asks for change, he wants to make sure the council can respond effectively.
Barely three years later… a chaser. [Austin Police ask robbery victims to call 311 amid staffing shortage, crime crisis, Fox News, September 4, 2023]:
Austin Police in Texas asked residents to call 311 if they get robbed near an ATM over the weekend as the department struggles amid an increase in urban crime and staffing shortages.
The Austin Police Department posted a graphic in a post on X, formerly Twitter, to urge residents to call 311 or make an online report if they’re robbed; 311 is a number usually reserved for non-emergency requests, as opposed to 911.
“Even if you are cautious & follow all the safety advice, you may still become the unfortunate victim of a robbery,” the Austin Police Department wrote on X. “Do you know what your next steps should be?
“Make a police report & provide as much information as possible so we can recover your property quickly and safely,” the post added. The graphic included advice to mention the bank in the 311 report and include the date and time of the cash withdrawal.