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Austin Police respond to a shooting in the arboretum area of northwest Austin. (Employee of the Community Impact newspaper)
The Austin Police Department will no longer respond to the crime scene of non-emergency crimes, interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon announced on Sept. 29.
Chacon said several types of crimes, including verbal interference, theft, and prostitution, that no longer pose an active threat to people or property should be viewed as non-urgent and reported to 311 or online instead of 911.
The new measure will take effect on October 1st.
He said the change was tied to growth in the city and staffing issues would be beyond APD’s resources.
“We’re trying to keep up with a fast growing city,” said Chacon.
He said crime reports continue to be recorded and the incidents investigated even though officials did not respond to the crime scene. He also said that in limited cases, civilian APD staff, such as crime scene experts, could respond.
“This is perhaps the most appropriate way to deal with this so that I can set my officers free to respond to emergencies,” Chacon said.
Chacon said the change could mean longer waiting times when calling 311 as those operators are also dealing with staffing issues.
Chacon emphasized the importance of the measure in view of increasing reports of crime, increasing reaction times and personnel problems.
He said he believed the department is going in the right direction by bringing back cadet academies to address this staff shortage.
Chacon called the move a “necessary action” given the current problems the department is facing, but said the department could keep the model depending on how it worked.
“If a person has doubts whether or not this is an emergency, call 911,” Chacon said.
Chacon defined a non-emergency as incidents that are no longer ongoing, where the suspect is no longer there, and where there is no further threat to life or property. If any of these three conditions are not met, it is considered an emergency.
Offenses subject to the new measure:
- Animal service
- Attempted theft of property
- Burglary in a bus or vehicle
- Vehicle accidents in which no vehicle needs to be towed, there are no injuries, none of the drivers appear to be impaired and every driver has proof of insurance
- prostitution
- Suspicious vehicle or person
- Verbal disorders
- Theft
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