The September Downtown Safety Forum brought together downtown stakeholders for updates on public safety trends, Austin Police Department operations, services for people experiencing homelessness and upcoming events expected to bring increased activity downtown. The forum featured updates from APD Downtown Area Command Commander Christopher Juusola, the Sow Community Resource Hub and the Downtown Austin Alliance.
See the full September presentation
Austin Police Department Update
Commander Christopher Juusola provided an update on crime trends, calls for service and policing activity within the Downtown Austin Alliance Public Improvement District.
APD continues to use directed patrols to concentrate resources in areas experiencing elevated activity. From January through August, monthly directed patrols increased from a low of 420 in March to 1,047 in August. Through Sept. 9, another 260 directed patrol events had already been opened for the month.
The four most frequently patrolled locations year-to-date were:
- 600 block of Congress Avenue – 383 directed patrols
- 710 W. Cesar Chavez Street near the Central Library – 202
- 422 Guadalupe Street at Republic Square – 177
- 400 E. Sixth Street/South Alley – 143
APD identified several current hotspots, including Republic Square, the 400 block of East Sixth Street, the 600 block of Congress Avenue and the Central Library. The 600–700 blocks of Sabine Street were also identified as an emerging hotspot and entertainment area.
The department is continuing several downtown initiatives, including nuisance abatement, quality-of-life initiatives, the Public Order Team, a new patrol initiative, DARRT investigative efforts, the No Wrong Door program and monitoring around major downtown parks and special events.
APD also shared a staffing update. A new cadet class of 38 officers was scheduled to graduate Sept. 18. By Oct. 31, Downtown Area Command expects to have approximately 80 officer positions with five to seven vacancies, representing a staffing rate of roughly 91%–94%.
Preparing for a Busy Fall Downtown
APD is preparing for a particularly active October, with UT home football games, both weekends of Austin City Limits Music Festival, Formula 1 and Halloween all expected to increase activity in and around downtown.
Planning for Halloween is especially important this year because several major events coincide around the same period. APD noted that its Halloween operations will use a different setup, including white fencing. After October, the department anticipates very limited Sixth Street closures.
Sow Community Resource Hub
Rachid Sow shared an overview of the Sow Community Resource Hub, an operating downtown platform designed to connect people with immediate resources while creating longer-term pathways toward stability.
The hub brings several services into one location, including meals and hydration, cooling and hygiene, case management and navigation, healthcare and mental wellness services, financial and digital literacy resources, and workforce and skilled-trade pathways.
The model is designed as a progression from crisis intervention to greater stability: beginning with basic needs such as food, water, cooling and hygiene; moving into case management and housing navigation; and ultimately connecting individuals with employment, housing and community support.
The presentation also emphasized the connection between public health and public safety. Services include showers and hygiene, mental wellness support, healthcare connections and extreme-weather response.
Sow is also developing a Downtown Community Response Network that would allow participating downtown businesses and properties to request outreach assistance. Under the proposed model, a dedicated hub hotline would dispatch an outreach team, with a target response time of 15–30 minutes, followed by connections to appropriate resources and continued follow-up.
Looking ahead, Sow is exploring expansion of the resource hub into a 24/7 model that could provide a supervised community space, overnight resource access, weather response, hygiene and shower access, outreach coordination, case-management continuity and connections to crisis and partner services.
Downtown Unsheltered Estimate
The Downtown Austin Alliance also presented its latest Downtown PID unsheltered estimate.
The July 2026 estimate identified 449 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness downtown, up from 383 in April 2026. The estimate continues to fluctuate between counts, with previous totals including 412 in January 2026, 514 in October 2025 and 547 in July 2025.
Upcoming Downtown Events
Downtown is heading into a busy fall season, with major conferences, festivals and sporting events scheduled throughout September and October.
Upcoming activity includes the American Bankers Association Bank Marketing Conference, FUSE 2026, SailPoint Navigate, both weekends of Austin City Limits Music Festival, the PAEA Annual Education Forum, Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, the Austin Film Festival and several other downtown events.
Several conferences alone are expected to bring hundreds or more than 1,000 attendees downtown, including FUSE with approximately 1,200 attendees and SailPoint Navigate with approximately 1,400 attendees.
Join the Next Downtown Safety Forum
The next Downtown Safety Forum will take place Thursday, October 15, from 8:30–9:30 a.m.
The Downtown Safety Forum provides an opportunity for downtown stakeholders to hear directly from public safety officials and community partners, learn about ongoing initiatives and ask questions about issues affecting Downtown Austin.