On July 18, the Downtown Austin Alliance hosted its virtual Safety Forum, a monthly meeting in collaboration with various officials to provide downtown safety updates and crime data and discuss upcoming safety initiatives and more.
Downtown Austin Crime Updates
At the forum, Austin Police Department Commander Craig Smith presented the June 2024 crime statistics, highlighting that although crime levels remain consistent with last year, the Austin Police Department (APD) is seeing an increase in pick-pocketing and phone theft. Additionally, theft, drug and narcotic violations have increased significantly. However, the Downtown Area Command (DTAC) is working with the District Attorney’s office to ensure individuals are prosecuted and remain off the streets. Commander Smith also shared an update on APD’s downtown staffing levels, which currently sit at 74%, a 4% decrease since last month.
Downtown Austin Community Court
Christopher Anderson, court operations manager for the Downtown Austin Community Court, joined the forum to discuss current initiatives and updates from their Mobile Court Pilot. The Downtown Austin Community Court provides interventions pre and post-criminal justice involvement for class-C misdemeanors along with providing intensive and compassionate community-based services. The Mobile Court Pilot, created to make their services more accessible to those needing help, has expanded its days of service to five days each month during the pilot and will increase an extra two days post-pilot.
June data from the Mobile Court pilot showed 534 individuals had their court case status checked by DACC, 105 of those cases were docketed and 74 warrants were cleared.
Downtown Safety Team
The Downtown Austin Alliance’s Downtown Safety Team, a program focused on engaging with individuals violating ordinances and deterring crime in the Downtown area, is currently in its second phase. This includes four team members on daily patrol from 6am to 10pm, including one overnight team member at Republic Square from 10pm to 6am, and a mobile patrol team member from 5pm to 3am Thursday through Sunday.
Collective data from May 1 through June 30 was revealed at the forum, showcasing the program’s initial success. The Downtown Safety team had 828 interactions for compliance with ordinances and an 86% compliance rate—a five percent increase from last month. The Republic Square overnight security had 621 interactions with a 97% compliance rate. Through both initiatives, 54 calls were made to 911 or APD Overtime Patrol. In October, phase 3 will begin and the Downtown Safety Team will increase its daily patrols to eight staff members per shift with the Safety Team having a total of 23 full-time employees. The current phase (Phase 2) consists of a total of 14 full-time employees on staff.
HEART Austin
In partnership with Urban Alchemy, the HEART Austin program is a six-month pilot providing an innovative approach to addressing the needs of people experiencing homelessness downtown through trained practitioners with lived experience.
Data collected from February 1 through June 30 revealed 1,182 total interactions with people experiencing homelessness. 81 people were placed into shelters, 37 people were reunified with their families, thereby resolving their condition of homelessness, and 1,935 social service activities were provided, including meals, clothing and hygiene kits. At the forum, the Downtown Austin Alliance announced the HEART Austin program has been extended through September 30.
Join us for more
The next Safety Forum is scheduled for Thursday, August 15, at 8:30am. Register for the next Safety Forum here.