Austin Police Department shares details on Safer 6th Street Initiative
AUSTIN, Texas - On Tuesday, Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon unveiled a broad new initiative to make 6th Street safer. The announcement comes at the end of a violent year in the city’s entertainment district—most notably June’s mass shooting in which a man was killed and 14 others injured.
Chacon laid out the Safer 6th Street Initiative Tuesday afternoon, calling it a "holistic" approach to curbing violence in that area. "I think I can say with a certain degree of certainty that it's going to be impactful," said Chacon.
Focusing on East 6th Street between Brazos Street and I-35, the plan targets a number of elements that Chacon says impact public safety.
"Not just solely looking at it from an enforcement or APD is going to be able to do everything, but looking at bringing all the departments from the city that might be able to impact this," said Chacon.
Among the key changes: improving lighting, particularly in alleyways. "I think that lighting on the street could definitely be improved. As a woman myself, I would feel safer," said Chelsea Livingston, who frequents 6th Street.
"It runs away a lot of people that might be part of committing nefarious activities like selling dope, prostitution or other crimes like that," said Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday.
The city also plans to widen the walkways on weekends into the roadways—along with better barricades, and a pilot program to add café seating. "I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s also good for public health," said Henri Hall, who frequents 6th Street.
Another major component of the plan: adding dedicated rescue task forces on 6th Street—so EMS, fire, and police can respond quickly in an emergency. The city also wants to partner with local bars to crackdown on underage drinking and require better-trained security.
"If we have something that happens in there, we have the private security personnel in there that know what they should do, and have practiced this already with the police department," said Chacon.
"This is a great first step," said Casaday of the initiative.
However, Casaday says the plan can only go so far, without adequate staffing of police officers. "The shifts downtown that are supposed to have 10 people on them each, are lucky to show up with four or five people," said Casaday. "So you move from an offensive mode, into a defensive mode."
As it continues to tackle downtown safety, Austin plans to get input from cities like New York and San Francisco on how they handle nightlife. "I think it’s a great idea, because Austin used to not be a big city, and now it definitely is," said Livingston.
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