The Austin Police Department is standing on shaky ground at the moment. Following accusations lodged against former Assistant Chief Justin Newsom claiming he frequently used racist language, calls for an investigation into the overall culture of APD have grown louder. On Thursday, following dozens of testimonies from members of the public, and passionate statements made by members of the law enforcement and activist communites, the Austin City Council voted unanimously to investigate the department, its executive staff, and its training academy.
“We have a challenge, and we want to deal with this challenge in a constructive way because we recognize that it will make all of us safer and better,” said Mayor Steve Adler.
The resolution directs City Manager Spencer Cronk to take a deep dive into APD practices and policies, as well as communications made by police officers on city-issued cell phones and on their personal social media accounts dating back five years. His review will also look at arrests, use-of-force cases, and interactions with the public that were recorded this year. A decade of lawsuits will also go under the microscope.
The police academy will also undergo an extensive review, which should be complete by June 2020. Until that review is complete, however, and all of the information has been digested by city leaders, no new cadet classes will be put through training.
Prior to the council meeting on Thursday, mayor pro tem Delia Garza said she understands APD’s concern about halting the academy at a time in which staffing remains short, but said that’s a small price to pay for routing out racism and bigotry.
“It would be a mistake to bring another class into a job without ensuring that we’re doing our best at recruiting a diverse pool of students, and that they’ll receive the best, most advanced, most inclusive training at the academy,” she said.
Council member Natasha Harper-Madison said the quicker APD adheres to the council’s demands, the quicker the academy can get back on track.
“If staff and APD move swiftly and expeditiously to meet these benchmarks, the cadet class in June can proceed without a hitch,” Harper-Madison said.
Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday spoke during Thursday’s council meeting, saying the union finds the allegations to be very concerning, but the prospect of freezing the academy feels like a slap in the face to veteran officers.
“Calling for the city manager to cancel any new cadet classes until audits are completed, with a deadline of June 1, 2020, is true disservice to the working men and women of the Austin Police Department,” he said. “It will compound the problems with recruiting applicants to fill the increasing number of employee vacancies. It will also negatively impact the efforts and opportunities of a diverse workforce to come to this community. Cutting into the cadet class eliminates another opportunity for men and women of diverse races, ethnicities, sexual orientation, and those of lower economic resources from joining the Austin Police Department.”
Because the resolution requests an immediate focus on patterns of prejudiced behavior and institutionalized racism, Casaday says the investigation should be expanded to include high-ranking City of Austin officials, too, and not just the police department.
“I suggest it also includes a review of people working at City Hall who set the policies, city legal who interprets the policies and provides legal advice, and the Office of Police Oversight, which should’ve taken some actions when they were initially notified of the allegations,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after the council vote, Chief Brian Manley said he welcomes the review. When asked if his job may be at risk over the allegations, Manley said, “I’m not aware that my job is in jeopardy right now.”
