Austin's chief of police and AGÕæÈË°Ù¼ÒÀÖ County's top prosecutor say they're working in tandem to address crime in the Austin area.
In a joint interview with KUT News late last month, APD Chief Lisa Davis and District Attorney José Garza said they're focused on reducing violent crime and prosecuting sexual assault cases.
Davis and Garza also said they want to assure Austinites they're committed to building a working relationship after years of bad blood.
Is Austin safe?
posts would tell you Austin is unsafe, many crimes aren't being investigated and those that are aren't being prosecuted to the fullest extent.
Data would tell you differently.
According to , violent crime in Austin has been dropping for years.
Still, Chief Davis said, there will always be hotspots � and the perception that Austin is dangerous. She said she's "not naive enough" to say Austin is an unimpeachably "safe city."
"It is an overall safe city. But there are true victims and there are people in neighborhoods that don't feel safe, and I truly value that," she said. "I don't discount that. And I take it all very seriously when we're looking at crime reduction."
Davis said she's particularly focused on gun violence. Those numbers may be down this year, but she said the two offices "have work to do."
Garza argued the crime spike Austin saw in 2020 and 2021 wasn’t necessarily unique; cities saw similar spikes.
"I think obviously the chief is right on about the totality of crime statistics here in Austin ... and the chief is right that when it comes to homicides and gun violence, in particular, we still have work to do," he said. "I want to say I'm excited about the work that we have ahead of us, but I also want to just strike [a] note of caution."
What are you doing to address the past?
This year, Davis said, homicides aren’t where she’d like them to be, but the more prevalent crimes � like aggravated assault and car burglaries � have dropped.
There’s still the prevailing sense that the police and DA’s office aren’t on the same page about which cases are getting investigated or prosecuted.
Garza's office has been targeted on social media by the city's police union, and even Gov. Greg Abbott, for being soft on crime.
"There are a number of reasons that cases get resolved," he said. "Sometimes it is because we simply don't have enough evidence. In other instances, we're pursuing a certain kind of outcome because we believe that outcome will be in the best interest of our public safety."
Garza said he believes the community —including the police department � deserves more transparency around how and why those decisions are made.
Add to that, Garza ran on a platform to tackle police misconduct. His indictment of 21 officers for using force during 2020 protests led some of the rank-and-file in APD to distrust the DA’s office.
So, how does that impact future prosecutions?
Davis said she and Garza are working to fix the strained relationship between the two agencies, but the first step is addressing it. That, she said, starts with training.
APD has been trying to revamp its training ever since an audit found the department had a “warrior� mentality in its curriculum. The department didn’t emphasize de-escalation, which led officers to believe any use of force was within its policies, Davis said.
She said she's put a finer point on shifting that mindset.
"It is my job as chief to come in and start looking at what is that training," she said. "What are the [policies], the procedures here, how do we make it safe for police to go do their job and do it effectively and do it correctly within the law?"
What are you doing to move forward?
Davis and Garza said they're both focused on investigating and prosecuting violent crime.
The police chief said that's where she's seen the most buy-in from officers.
"We're both trying to take bad people off the street," she said."The way we get there is a little different, but we have to work together ... and I think as we move forward, we [will] start developing strategies to look at our gun violence."
In addition to cooperation on violent crimes, Garza said, his office has renewed focus on pursuing sexual assault cases. APD and county prosecutors have prioritized those cases in ways the two hadn't previously.
"Since Chief Davis arrived, I think our communication has changed, and I really appreciate the ways that it has changed," he said.
