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APD outlines widening use of non‑sworn staff: training, records, drones and mental‑health pilot
Summary
Assistant Chief James Mason briefed the Public Safety Committee on June 2 about existing civilian roles in APD and potential expansions, including drone 'first responder' trials, greater use of retired officers in report‑writing roles, and a mental‑health alternate response pilot expected to come to the committee in the next months.
Austin — Assistant Chief James Mason told the Austin City Council Public Safety Committee on June 2 that the Austin Police Department is using and expanding non‑sworn personnel to carry out administrative, technical and some response functions as the department grapples with sworn staffing shortages.
Mason listed existing and potential non‑sworn roles: civilian staff in case‑management units such as SOAR (sex‑offender registration and tracking), retired officers doing background checks in recruiting, civilian analysts and technicians in the real‑time crime center, seven civilian full‑time equivalents supporting the training academy, a civilian burglar‑alarm unit, a reserve‑officer program of more than 30 people used for large events, and integration with 3‑1‑1 to get online reports into iReport for detectives.
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