Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis is charting a new course for the city's police department with a 100-day action plan aimed at addressing critical issues such as staffing shortages, crime prevention, and bolstering community trust. In a forthright conversation with KVUE's Kelsey Sanchez, Chief Davis underscored the importance of listening to Austin's diverse communities as a key element of her strategy. "I have to hear what's important to other people, and you can't just assume those things," said Davis in the interview.
Chief Davis, who was sworn in last month, is keen on responding to the city's need for more officers on patrol to improve response times. The latest data from the Austin Police Department (APD) reveals that emergency responses are lagging, with an average time of 12 minutes and 6 seconds, over a minute more than the target. "Those wait times are 'not tolerable'," Davis told KVUE. The recently approved police contract, worth in excess of $218 million, is set to help alleviate these issues by broadening the scope of recruitment, extending even out of state, which has, "just opened the door," in Davis's words.
As the department aims to recover from a deficit of about 300 officers, recent developments have prompted optimism. "The numbers are coming," Chief Davis stated, referencing the nearly 55 graduates from the latest police academy class and the additional classes slated for the near future. The plan, as explained by Chief Davis, extends beyond officer numbers, touching on reviving disbanded units and implementing targeted enforcement to curb the city’s worrisome homicide rate. "Sixty homicides, that's too much," Davis remarked in a statement provided by FOX 7 Austin.
Beyond these tactical adjustments, Chief Davis is putting significant emphasis on open dialogue and actionable feedback from Austin residents. She invites the community to attend town halls, participate in ride-alongs, and fill out an online survey on the city's website to share their experiences and concerns. "I'm excited to hear what [Austinites] have to say – good, bad, ugly, all of it," she expressed in her one-on-one with KVUE. This input will be instrumental in shaping the department's approach moving forward, as Chief Davis advocates for a collaborative endeavor to propel change within both the APD, and the broader community it serves.
The ambitious blueprint for change within the APD hinges on its execution past the initial 100 days. Chief Davis acknowledges the limitations of the timeframe; yet remains steadfast in her commitment to long-term improvements. "I'm not going to solve everything. We're not going to solve everything. But working together, we can solve a lot," she stated with candor. Austin's capital city stands at a juncture where community engagement and innovative policing strategies align, marking the advent of what many hope to be a period of reformation and renewal under Chief Davis’s leadership.
