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Consultants say APD short on patrol staff, propose staged tech, training and process fixes
Summary
A consultant briefing to the Austin Public Safety Committee said the Austin Police Department faces significant patrol staffing shortfalls and disparate data systems; consultants recommended routing fixes to the records management system, a patrol workload analysis, change‑management practices, and phased tech integration to free officers for proactive work.
A consultant from Barry Dunn told the Austin City Council Public Safety Committee on Dec. 1 that the Austin Police Department is operating with a significant patrol staffing gap and recommended a package of technological, training and process changes to address capacity and data‑quality problems.
Michelle Minsl, senior program manager with Barry Dunn, said the firm’s multi‑part review — begun in February 2024 and updated through fall 2025 — found the department’s patrol workforce and business processes need adjustment. “Based on the current number in the field, discretionary time is nominal,” she said, arguing that limited discretionary time helps explain declines in proactive enforcement such as hands‑free citations.
The consultants outlined short‑term and long‑term steps: short‑term routing changes and quality‑assurance protocols in the records management system (RMS) to make CAD entries more usable for analysis; a phase‑2 technology integration to eliminate dual entry between CAD and RMS; and change‑management work (Prosci/ADKAR) to support implementation. Minsl said the mostly functional development of priority recommendations was scheduled for Q4 2025 with initial implementation beginning in Q1 2026 and broader progress expected in Q2–Q3 2026.
On staffing, the presentation cited a notable gap in patrol numbers. The consultants said the department is “roughly 300 positions short in patrol” and noted analyses suggesting an ideal allocation closer to 1,100 patrol positions versus current operating strength (examples cited in the briefing ranged from 688 active patrol positions versus an allocation near 966). The report links the vacancy gap to limited time for proactive policing and to longer response times for noncritical incidents.
Consultants also recommended revisiting beat and district lines using geo‑plotting and weighted demand, auditing the training academy and academy curricula for fidelity, and applying solvability factors to reduce the number of low‑value investigations routed to detectives. Minsl said Barry Dunn expects the patrol workload analysis to provide sector‑by‑sector response‑time data and to support resource planning.
Council members asked about the degree to which technology can stretch officers’ time; Minsl said integration of mobile, CAD and RMS platforms can multiply efficiencies but warned that having separate vendors and interfaces creates integration challenges. Chief Davis and committee staff flagged ongoing pilot work on alternative response options and said a targeted pilot sector has been identified for further development.
What’s next: the consultants said they will complete the patrol workload analysis and continue recommendation tracking and implementation support; staff told the committee that several technology and staffing items will return to the committee as specific implementation steps are developed.
