Fallout after City of Austin suspends partnership between APD and DPS
AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Department of Public Safety will continue to patrol Austin despite the city’s decision to suspend the partnership. Governor Greg Abbott announced he will add additional troopers to Austin.
Governor Abbott says 30 additional DPS troopers will be deployed to Austin for patrol. This brings the total number of troopers in Austin following the partnership suspension to 130 troopers.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson backed his decision to suspend the City of Austin's partnership with DPS on Wednesday.
"I promise you, things were not done in haste. It's a sign that people are thinking through and trying to provide good government and good policymaking that our constituents deserve," he said.
Mayor Watson admits the DPS partnership brought in a lot of positives for the city including a decrease in violent crime, traffic fatalities, and response times. However, he says recent incidents involving DPS troopers in Austin just could not be ignored.
"We decided that it was an appropriate time to suspend the partnership that we had with the Texas Department of Public Safety," he said.
One of the incidents Mayor Watson is referring to is a story first brought to you by FOX 7 Austin.
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On Sunday evening, DPS troopers pulled over Carlos Meza for his lack of plates. In the recently released trooper body camera video, Meza can be seen pulling into his driveway. He told FOX 7 he was unaware he was being pulled over.
The video shows his 10-year-old son, Angel, opening the door and beginning to get out of the car. His dad says Angel had to use the bathroom. In the video, the two troopers draw their weapons, but keep the guns pointed down.
Carlos then asks what they are doing and tries out of the car himself. Troopers then point their weapons at him.
"I think this might have been the incident that kind of made everyone here at the city kind of do a double take, but this isn't the first instance of folks feeling unsafe," said Zo Qadri, District 9 council member for the City of Austin.
Council member Qadri says he stands behind the decision to suspend the DPS partnership.
"I just don't think there's any justification. The fact that the gun was pulled out to begin with, whether it be pointed at the ground or pointed at a person's father," he said.
Other council members like Mackenzie Kelly admit they did not see this coming. She believes DPS was an asset to the city during its police staffing crisis.
"The suspension of the partnership between DPS and APD came as quite the surprise to me," said Kelly, District 6 council member for the City of Austin.
Carlos Meza, the father at the center of this, spoke to FOX 7 over the phone to give his reaction to the suspension.
"It makes everybody in Austin feel better," he said.
The mayor called on the Austin Police Association several times to start working with the city to create a long-awaited police contract. The City of Austin has been without a police contract since April 1, 2023.
Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon released a statement on social media with his thoughts on the suspension of the APD/DPS partnership:
"Yesterday, I was notified that the partnership between APD and DPS was going to be suspended due to some concerns from the Mayor, Council and our community regarding recent events. Our partnership with DPS showed a positive trend in decreasing crime, responding to calls, and keeping our community and law enforcement personnel safe. We do not have any information on the future of DPS deployments. While I am disappointed by the suspension of the partnership it is important that we as a community all work together to provide a City that is safe for all residents and officers."