Austin police officer shortage leaves portion of East Austin without patrol

AUSTIN, Texas - An entire portion of East Austin was left without a single patrol officer for two hours. The Austin Police Association says staffing levels are at critical levels.

According to the Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock, the previous weekend was a difficult one for the Austin Police Department.

"It's been rough," he said.

On Saturday, Feb. 17, Bullock says an entire sector of East Austin was left for two hours without a single patrol officer assigned.

"It is not normal for us. Usually about that time, we would have somewhere around, you know, anywhere from 10 to 14 officers that might be available or working that particular time," said Bullock.

Bullock says this is the stark result of the department’s growing staffing crisis. He says the department ended up having to pull non-patrol officers to make it work.

"There was no one on duty except for one unit that we have that's made up of detectives and specialized units that are currently working backfill, and so they're pulling double duty," he said.

On top of that, Thursday, Feb. 15 also saw the brunt of the staffing crisis when four officers were pulled from patrol duty to cover the Austin City Council meeting. Bullock says that left just two officers to cover the entire downtown area.

Bullock says staffing has hit critical numbers and the department is trying to do as much rearranging as possible to fill the gaps.

"In 2006, we had, you know, 1,466 officers, and right now we have about 1,482, but in 2006, we also had over 250,000 fewer residents living here in Austin. It's extremely concerning. We're not showing any signs of immediately improving our staffing situation," he said.

Right now, Bullock says APD is working on ways to prioritize officers’ time and divert non-emergency calls to help the short-staffed department.

"So that way [officers] are available to respond to 911 in emergencies that are actually in progress," he said.

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Bullock says the department is around 500 officers short, so bringing in more officers through cadet classes is a top priority. Right now, there is a cadet class of 40 in progress and another class with 80 that has just started.

In order to recruit and retain officers, Bullock believes the most powerful tool is a long-term contract with the city. It is something APD has not had for almost a year.

Bullock says APA’s top priority is figuring out a way to reach a contract.

"We have maintained and continued to work towards finding ways that we can address those concerns and come to an agreement on a contract. We want to get there," he said.