FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2023
TMPA Defends DPS/APD Partnership
AUSTIN, Texas- Since the 2020 defunding of the Austin Police Department, led by then-Mayor Steve Adler, it has been challenging for the city to rebound. The staffing shortage of the Austin Police Department personnel, directly linked to the defund movement, has caused a significant increase in violent crimes within Austin and surrounding communities. Rather than sit back and continue to allow these violent crimes to explode, necessary resources were requested to ensure the safety and security of the citizens of Austin and the safety of Austin Police Officers. Four current sitting council members voted in favor of the defunding movement as that decision was unanimous.
Since the request and deployment of Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers to assist the Austin Police Department, the following have occurred within the first week of the partnership:
· 28% decrease in violent crime
· 12% decrease in emergency calls for service
· 1 minute and 15 second improvement in response times
This factual data does not include the successful arrests, multiple large seizures of illegal narcotics, seizures of weapons, and attempts to decrease fatality accidents.
The importance of traffic stops and citizen contacts in high-crime areas cannot be overstated. They allow law enforcement officers to identify and apprehend individuals who are breaking the law, and they also serve as a powerful tool for gathering intelligence on criminal activity. Removing dangerous individuals and illegal substances from our streets can reduce violent crime incidents and make our communities more secure – which is exactly what is happening.
Unfortunately, too many local policy makers/politicos continue to push their own social engineering agendas or political ambitions by regurgitating the long-since debunked notion of racial profiling. The traffic stops and citizen contacts the troopers make are proven, effective means of ensuring public safety. Law enforcement officers are trained to use their discretion and conduct stops only when probable cause of a violation occurs.
“We also found it profoundly disturbing that Travis County District Attorney Joe Garza would weigh in on statistics that are not accurate. Furthermore, it depicted a negative view of the hard work of what the requested DPS Troopers are completing in his county. TMPA looks forward to a day when the citizens of Travis County have a District Attorney that fully understands the duties and responsibilities of what that office should be focused on, which is law and order.”- TMPA Executive Director Kevin Lawrence
CONTACT: Tyler Owen
Phone: (903) 926-4005
Email: [email protected]
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