Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Apd Oversight 2024 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Austin Police Oversight presents 2024 annual report showing rise in sustained complaints and increased officer discipline
Summary
Austin Police Oversight staff told council the office saw fewer overall contacts but more complaints forwarded to APD, a jump in sustained external complaints from 14 to 69, and a modest increase in officers disciplined (125 in 2024 vs. 103 in 2023); councilors requested more data breakdowns and monitoring tools.
The Austin Police Oversight office presented its 2024 annual report to the City Council on Dec. 9, outlining trends in complaints, discipline and oversight activity and answering council questions about transparency, data definitions and next steps.
Director Gail McCann said the report is published on a lag because internal affairs investigations can take up to 180 days, and APO times publication to include that validated information. APO staff described several notable trends for 2024: a decrease in total contacts (from 1,552 in 2023 to 1,052 in 2024) alongside a doubling of compliments (99 in 2023 to 211 in 2024), and increases in both external and internal complaints forwarded to APD. Kevin Masters, deputy director, reported APO forwarded 841 complaints to APD in 2024 compared with 578 in 2023 (a 45% increase) and said sustained external complaints rose from 14 in 2023 to 69 in 2024. Masters also reported that 125 officers received discipline in 2024 compared with 103 in 2023.
APO communications manager Sarah Peralta said APO published 151 documents in 2024 to its public hub (disciplinary memos, recommendations and litigation records) and participated in 50 community events. Policy and research manager Crystal Kimbrough said the policy team issued 26 recommendations on APD general orders in 2024 — on topics ranging from drone policy to taser and low‑speed interventions — and participates in the academy’s professional advisory committee reviewing curriculum.
Council members pressed APO and APD staff on several data points: how APO measures "public confidence," why a large number of sustained findings do not always result in formal discipline (APO explained a sustainment can lead to education‑based discipline or training rather than formal suspension/termination), the gap between the number of sustained external complaints and the smaller number of published formal disciplinary actions, and when the 2025 report will be published. APO explained the report timing is constrained by IAD’s 180‑day investigative window and said the office is pursuing improved data‑mining capability and plans to publish a more timely officer‑involved‑shooting dashboard and other real‑time reporting in 2026.
Council members also asked about APO’s intake and follow‑up: staff said every complaint receives a preliminary review, complainants can remain anonymous, and APO offers multiple intake channels, language access and a confidential intake space established in 2024. APO confirmed it conducts random body‑worn‑camera audits (Masters cited roughly 1,200 reviews and more than 1,000 hours of video reviewed in 2024) and that some public dashboards were temporarily pulled to correct double‑counting in use‑of‑force reporting.
Public comment on the item included a request by Neli Paulina Ramirez, chair of the Public Safety Commission, calling for a full audit of APO’s complaints process and urging stronger advocacy for complainants who lack the legal support of sworn officers. APO acknowledged the commission’s recommendation and council members asked staff to follow up with additional data and clarifications.
No formal action was taken; APO and council members agreed on the need for additional data breakdowns and improvements to public dashboards and promised follow‑up on outstanding requests.
