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Federal and state police started a nationwide crackdown on drunken driving Wednesday, saying previous efforts had not done enough to reduce deaths from impaired drivers.
The crackdown, however, may face resistance from a growing industry devoted to defending people arrested on drunken driving charges. These groups contend overzealous police forces inflated the problem out of proportion, trampling rights in the process. Read the rest of this entry »
Department leaders still developing plans for meeting minimum staffing goals for patrols, reducing crime.
City officials have proposed slashing the Austin Police Department’s overtime spending 25 percent next year after several years of ballooning expenses.
In the proposed 2007 city budget released Thursday, the city allocated $7.1 million for police overtime, which is used to help the department meet staffing goals, fill gaps created by vacant positions and patrol special events such as Mardi Gras and Halloween on Sixth Street.
The department estimates that this year’s overtime expenses will reach $9.5 million through September, the end of the fiscal year. Read the rest of this entry »
The Austin American Statesman reported that Austin Police Department paid officers nearly $2.5 million in overtime last year during weeks they also took vacation and other leave. This was allowed because of a policy that has bumped up overtime costs.
The practice — unlike that in most private businesses and other city departments — allows officers to receive overtime pay even when they have not worked more than 40 hours. The rule essentially lets them take vacation leave for time-and-a-half pay. Read the rest of this entry »
KVUE 24 reported that there is new insight into why the chief of Austin’s Park Police Department decided stepping down. Documents released Friday paint a picture of a small police force with a big personality conflict.
Chief Darryl Lewis’ resignation came on the heels of a critical evaluation of his department, citing problems with training and equipment. But we now know the core problem runs deeper and is more personal. Read the rest of this entry »
In May, Austin police officer, Cpl. Richard Munoz, was fired by then-Police Chief Stan Knee after Munoz was accused of choking a handcuffed 15-year-old boy Nov. 11, at a trailer park, according to a police memo.
Munoz also investigated a separate incident at the park that day involving a teenager said to have been sexually preying on children but did not file the report properly, giving the attacker time to assault someone else, the memo said. Read the rest of this entry »
City paid patrol officers $3.9 million extra last year to meet staffing goal.
The bill for overtime at the Austin Police Department for routine patrols has increased 468 percent during the past five years, hitting $3.9 million last year, according to city payroll and budget records.
At least 10 officers earned enough overtime to make six-figure salaries in 2005, working as many as 70 hours a week to cover for fellow officers who were sick, injured, suspended or on vacation. They also filled in the gaps for 107 officer positions the city has authorized but not filled.
Austin police Cpl. John Coffey racked up the overtime in 2005, working an average of 55 hours a week. Coffey earned $145,451. Read the rest of this entry »
The Austin American Statesman reported that an Austin police commander was arrested and charged with drunken driving Sunday night after he crashed his car into a ditch at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Cmdr. James O’Leary, 61, who supervises the department’s training division, was arrested about 8:30 p.m. Sunday and booked into the Travis County Jail about 90 minutes later, authorities said. He was released on bail Monday afternoon.
Assistant Police Chief David Carter said O’Leary has been placed on restricted duty pending the outcome of the criminal and internal investigations into the accident. O’Leary could not be reached for comment Monday.
Airport spokeswoman Leslie Schneiweiss said O’Leary crashed his white 1995 Lincoln Town Car into a ditch near a parking lot on Presidential Boulevard. Read the rest of this entry »
A Lakeway police officer was on restrictive duty Thursday following his arrest on charges of driving while intoxicated.
According to an arrest affidavit, Bryan McCannon, 30, was intoxicated at nearly two times the legal limit.
He was off-duty when he arrested Saturday night.
The sheriff’s office says McCannon was involved in a head-on collision with minor injuries along F.M. 2769 in Travis County.
When deputies arrived, they determined he was intoxicated and arrested him.
This will likely be the second Lakeway officer terminated by the Lakeway Police Department in the last few months. Things seem to be out of control out there.
Click here for the full story as reported by KVUE television station.
Former Austin Police Department Assistant Police Chief Robert Dahlstrom is the new UT police chief.
Dahlstrom faces many new challenges. During the interview process many in the UT community expressed concerns over off-campus safety in highly populated student areas.
Student government suggested joint jurisdiction between APD and UTPD.
“I think the joint jurisdiction would be a very difficult thing to do. You have two different radio communications, you have two
different 911 calls that come in. You have different policies,” Dahlstrom said.
Dahlstrom is the fourth person to serve as UT’s police chief since the department was created in the late 1960s. Read the rest of this entry »
Twenty-two Austin Police officers have been reprimanded and suspended for departmental violations ranging from unnecessary use of force and public intoxication to falling asleep on duty, according to disciplinary memos issued by the Civil Service Commission from August through December 31.
Among the circumstances surrounding the suspensions of the last five months of 2005 are:
• Sgt. Daniel Armstrong was suspended in November for 42 days for driving while intoxicated when off-duty. An officer found Armstrong in the Cedar Park Post Office parking lot asleep behind the wheel of his Ford F-150 pickup, the report states. Armstrong was given a $257 public intoxication ticket. Read the rest of this entry »