Austin police staffing crisis: Shift consolidation could affect 911 call response time

Austin police consider consolidating shifts during staffing crisis

The Austin Police Association president said they are cutting their availability to respond to 911 calls almost in half because they do not have enough officers.

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin police officer patrol shifts may be changed and consolidated this year as the staffing crisis continues.

The Austin Police Association president said they are cutting their availability to respond to 911 calls almost in half because they do not have enough officers.

"We’re about to hit a critical point," Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock said.

He said the Austin Police Department lost more than 160 officers and only about 75 were added this past year.

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In this FOX 7 Focus, FOX 7 Austin's John Krinjak sits down with the president of the Austin Police Association to talk about the state of policing and public safety in our city.

"Right now, the biggest priority is how we allocate what few resources we have to where it’s the most effective," Bullock said.

Bullock said the answer may be to consolidate shifts.

Currently, there are nine sectors in the City of Austin. When the police department is fully staffed, each sector usually has about 10 officers working each shift and the shifts tend to overlap during peak hours, so more officers can respond then.

Bullock said that isn’t happening right now.

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"Right now, most evening shifts are showing up at around 4 p.m., four officers that might be able to show up, and there are some I know that are at two, and I know there are shifts that have showed up with one officer," Bullock said.

Bullock said what’s happening now isn’t safe for officers, and it’s not effectively serving the community.

"There will be 15 or 20 calls that are holding, that officers have not been able to get to, and they’ve been holding for 2, 4, 10 hours," Bullock said.

Although the crime statistics in Austin aren’t drastically different from years past, Bullock said, "The only reason why that is the case is that our department and our officers are bending over backwards to try to maintain staffing on patrol, over time, backfill shifts, and now new units and consolidating schedules."

APD interim chief addresses safety concerns

In the past year, it has taken Austin police officers hours to show up to some 911 calls. The Interim Austin Police Chief said the department is working to keep people safe while short-staffed.

He said instead of proactive policing, it’s reactive.

"The changes that are having to come right now are indicative of the staffing crisis and the overall public safety situation that we’re dealing with here in Austin," Bullock said.

Governor Greg Abbott posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, "It’s past time for Austin to support police and to restore law and order."

More details on what the consolidation of shifts could look like are expected next month.