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Austin officials pressed over backlog of body‑worn camera footage for prosecutions
Summary
The commission heard that the Austin Police Department has a backlog of digital evidence that defense attorneys say is delaying case resolution and harming indigent clients; APD and county prosecutors said they are chipping away at the backlog and will return with process benchmarks.
Austin officials on Tuesday pressed police and county prosecutors to address a months‑long backlog in delivering body‑worn camera footage to prosecutors and defense attorneys, with the city’s public defender calling the delay “the process has become the punishment, for folks.”
Adrienne, chief public defender for the Travis County Public Defender’s Office, told the commission that defense counsel routinely requests footage within days of appointment and that long waits — “six months, seven months, eight months, nine months” — prevent clients from resolving cases, accessing housing and employment, and impose collateral harms.
Austin Police Department representatives confirmed a large backlog and described efforts to reduce it. "The backlog with the district attorney's office is…
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