Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Advocates urge moving 911 out of APD; commissioners note council resolution and budget follow‑up
Summary
Several speakers during public comment urged the commission and city to move 911 dispatch out from under the Austin Police Department, citing dispatch bias toward enforcement, budget timing and past audit findings; the commission noted a council resolution directing study of a unified emergency communications department and said budget office figures are pending.
Multiple community speakers told the Public Safety Commission on March 2 they support relocating Austin’s 911 call center from the Austin Police Department to a civilian‑led joint emergency communications structure.
Peter Hunt of the Austin Justice Coalition argued the move could be timed with budget changes to avoid violating state restrictions and would make it easier to prioritize health‑oriented responses to mental‑health and substance‑use incidents. "Moving the 911 call center out of the police budget would…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
