The Public Safety Commission on Monday voted in favor of suspending the Austin police training academy amid allegations of racism and homophobia within the upper echelons of the department. The recommendation comes following the abrupt resignation of former Assistant Chief Justin Newsom, who reportedly used racial slurs on multiple occasions throughout the years, yet was still allowed to rise through the ranks of the executive staff.
“It’s been clear going back at least to 2017 that there are real issues with the culture that permeate from the training academy itself,” said PSC member Chris Harris. “I don’t agree that another blank check should be given to this department to continue to hire new people.”
Greater Austin Crime Commission Executive Director Cary Roberts said the allegations are alarming, but expressed strong reservations over suspending the academy in a city with a police department already struggling to fill up its ranks.
“Suspending academy classes will undermine public safety when aggravated assaults and robberies have increased, and response times are slower because the department is understaffed,” Roberts said.
PSC member Meghan Hollis said the Austin Police Department is now standing at the bottom of a very deep hole, which it may struggle to climb out of.
“We have fractured the relationship with major segments of our public and our community,” she said. “The police department has done some potentially irrevocable damage, or it’s going to take a long, long time to recover from this.”
The commission also expressed concerns over allegations that Chief of Police Brian Manley and Assistant Chief Troy Gay allow anti-gay sentiment within the department.
In November, City Manager Spencer Cronk announced an investigation would be conducted into the allegations within APD. Item 66 on the Austin City Council agenda for Thursday says “The City Manager shall ensure that no new cadet classes may be initiated until this audit is completed and new training materials, if any, are implemented, in order to resume cadet classes no later than September 2020.” The PSC’s recommendation is that the city council vote in favor of the agenda item, with an addendum allowing the February cadet class to graduate before the suspension takes full effect.
Hollis was the lone ‘no’ vote on the Public Safety Commission, saying the problem is not an academy issue, but a culture issue that must be addressed.
The Austin Police Association says there are currently 171 open positions within APD. Union officials say an academy suspension could spike that number of vacancies to as many as 250 by the middle of 2020.
