Austin police facing staffing shortages as 911 wait times soar
'Save Austin Now' co-founder Matt Mackowiak and Austin, Texas, resident Patricia Potyka joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss the city's crime surge and police department shortages.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a task force on Thursday to crack down on street takeovers after car clubs took over multiple intersections in the state capital of Austin over the weekend.
"We must send a clear message that these reckless, coordinated criminal events will not be tolerated in Texas," Abbott said in a statement. "This statewide task force will work closely with local officials and law enforcement to investigate, prosecute, and prevent these dangerous street takeovers."
Car clubs from Austin and other Texas cities descended on the state capital on Saturday night, drifting in the middle of intersections and setting off fireworks as throngs of people looked on at the mayhem.
One police officer was injured while responding to the takeover, and several police cars were damaged.
The Austin Police Department (APD) has arrested at least six people in the aftermath of the takeover, resulting in the seizure of multiple guns, methamphetamine and marijuana.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will spearhead the new task force and "target the organized crime aspect of the street takeovers."
"These street takeovers put the lives of Texans and Texas law enforcement officers at risk," DPS Director Steven McCraw said Thursday. "We are seeing fireworks fired at officers in crowds, lasers pointed at aircraft, drivers driving upwards of 130 miles per hour with no lights on in the dark of night — all of it is reckless, and it needs to be stopped."
APD Chief Joseph Chacon said that his department has been hamstrung by vacancy rates in recent years.
"On any given night, we are going out understaffed right now," Chacon said Tuesday at a press conference. "Because of that, I've had to be moving people from specialized units and from investigations back to patrol temporarily on a short-term basis to answer 911 calls, and then go back to the regular assignments."
Methamphetamine, marijuana and multiple guns were seized on Sunday by the Austin Police Department in relation to the street takeovers. (Austin Police Department)
The APD's problems with understaffing can be traced back to 2020, when the city council cut the department's budget by about a third.
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Those funds were restored the next year to comply with state law, but waves of officers had already departed and multiple cadet classes were canceled.
"Despite the foolish attempts by some local officials to defund and demoralize our brave law enforcement officers, Texas is and remains a law-and-order state," Abbott said Thursday.
