On January 16, the Downtown Austin Alliance hosted its monthly virtual Safety Forum, where officials provided updates on safety, crime data and upcoming initiatives impacting downtown Austin. Download the presentation here.
Austin Police Department Update
At the forum, Austin Police Department Lieutenant Christopher Juusola shared the latest downtown crime statistics and staffing updates. He reported that property and violent crimes have remained stable or have continued to decline through 2024. He also noted that although crimes against society have increased compared to 2023, this remains a positive change as APD has adopted new proactive efforts in making more arrests and working to keep drugs and weapons off the streets.
Juusola also addressed the APD’s current staffing levels, which stand at 332 vacancies. In addition to higher vacancies, the Downtown Area Command is experiencing their lowest staffing levels yet, sitting at 64.2%. However, Juusola noted signs of progress, including fewer officers resigning or retiring compared to previous years and the finalized police contract. In addition to less officer turnover, Chief Davis has identified additional officers to move downtown and is finalizing a plan that will be shared publicly.
East Sixth Street Pedestrian & Traffic Management Pilot
Lieutenant Juusola also discussed the new East Sixth Street pilot, aimed at enhancing both vehicular and pedestrian safety during peak entertainment hours. The key elements include fencing and curb devices to restrict pedestrian access to streets, keeping vehicles out of pedestrian zones, widening sidewalks and enforcing westbound-only traffic flow. Through the planning process, APD held regular meetings with stakeholders and business owners to collaborate and identify goals for the pilot. He shared that data will be collected to assess the program’s impact on crime rates, pedestrian safety and the impact on businesses and sales.
HEART Austin and Downtown Safety Team Update
The HEART Austin program, initially launched as a pilot, was extended after receiving funding from the City of Austin’s 2025 budget. The permanent initiative will expand geographic reach and operational hours, including additional funding from the Downtown Austin Alliance for added services in the Public Improvement District. The launch of the program is tentatively scheduled to start in February.
The Downtown Safety Team, which patrols daily to address mental health needs, Class C misdemeanors and potentially aggressive behavior, completed more than 9,463 requests for compliance in 2024, with a 89.7% success rate in achieving voluntary cooperation. In December, the team completed 1,541 compliance requests.
Downtown Dashboard
Brandon Fahy, director of public space experience at the Downtown Austin Alliance, showed attendees how to submit a service request to the ambassadors and provided an update on their new Downtown Dashboard, which recaps efforts made by the ambassadors APD overtime patrol.
Key 2024 year-to-date data:
Join us for more
The next Downtown Austin Safety Forum will be the virtual Spring Festival Forum, scheduled for Thursday, February 20 at 8:30am. Register for the event here.
Additionally, the Downtown Austin Alliance will host Issues Over Lunch – Our Future 35: Vision to Reality on Tuesday, February 4 at 11:30am. Individual tickets, which include lunch, are $65 and can be purchased through Eventbrite.