Community advocates urge enforcement of de-escalation policy, raise ICE and less‑lethal-weapons concerns

Speakers from neighborhood and civil‑rights organizations told the Commission on Police Oversight on June 20 that enforcing APD’s de‑escalation policy and robust review of serious‑misconduct investigations should be top priorities.

Chaz Moore, founder and organizing director of the Austin Justice Coalition, said the city’s de‑escalation policy — a one‑sentence requirement that officers de‑escalate — has not been enforced. He urged the commission to scrutinize incidents in which officers allegedly failed to de‑escalate and to use the commission’s review power in cases of death or serious injury. Moore described high‑profile local cases under litigation, saying families and video evidence in several incidents raise questions about administrative investigations and discipline.

Yasmin Smith, vice president for justice and advocacy at the Austin Area Urban League, said the commission represents a “promise kept” under the Austin Police Oversight Act and urged thorough review of “serious misconduct,” a statutory phrase that she said includes death, serious injury, falsified reports, official oppression and discrimination. She stressed that accountability also protects officers who follow policy.

Kathy Mitchell of Equity Action spoke about recent changes at the Texas Legislature affecting legal standards for “less than lethal” weapons. She said state action altered the standard under which officers’ use of certain less‑lethal tools is judged and urged the commission and APD to identify which less‑lethal devices are in use, confirm officer training protocols, and ensure officers know target zones and manufacturer safety guidance.

Daniela Silva, Austin policy coordinator at Workers’ Defense Action Fund, raised immigrant‑community concerns about APD’s relationship with federal immigration enforcement. She said APD general order 330.8‑10 appears to allow APD assistance to ICE with supervisor approval, and asked the commission to review and recommend amendments so local policy reflects community expectations that visible officer identification be required and that APD not assist ICE in ways that undermine public trust.

Several Austin Justice Coalition speakers, including Peter Hunt, Mary Elizabeth, Lakshmi Fox and Tristan Stitt, urged that use‑of‑force reporting continue while data improvements are made, rather than pause reporting; they opposed recommendations in a recent internal APD report that would suspend public use‑of‑force reporting until data were “perfected.” They recommended continued raw‑data access for outside researchers and public transparency about any corrections to historical data.

Why it matters: The commission has statutory authority to review completed investigations of serious misconduct. Speakers tied their requests to ongoing court cases and to recent local audit and reporting disputes, asking the commission to use its review authority to ensure thorough investigations and transparent policy change.