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APD outlines staffing gains, Sixth Street pilot and crime trends at Public Safety Committee
Summary
Austin Police Department leaders told the City of Austin Public Safety Committee on March 31 that recruiting gains and contract changes are improving hiring, that violent crime fell year‑over‑year in 2024, and that a pilot to reopen Sixth Street to vehicles showed preliminary reductions in arrests and officer injuries.
Chief of Police Lisa Davis told the City of Austin Public Safety Committee on March 31 that the Austin Police Department (APD) is making progress on recruitment and retention, but remains short staffed.
Davis said APD currently has “well over 300 sworn police officer vacancies” and is running three cadet classes per year now that the department is “back under contract,” which allows continuous recruiting and testing. She said the department is holding three cadet classes yearly with a maximum of 104 seats per class and a minimum of 60, and that “if we have 3 classes a year with a minimum of 60 officers by the end of the year 2027, we will only be 40 officers short.”
The chief also described organizational changes she said should improve operations, including consolidation of…
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