NY Post Article on Austin falling off a cliff public safety wise.
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Last: 8 mo ago by TAMU1990
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A big step forward for Travis County would be to vote out Jose Garza in the Democrat Primary on Tuesday.
https://elections.traviscountytx.gov/current-election-information/current-election/#polling-locations
https://elections.traviscountytx.gov/current-election-information/current-election/#polling-locations
DD88 said:
A big step forward for Travis County would be to vote out Jose Garza in the Democrat Primary on Tuesday.
https://elections.traviscountytx.gov/current-election-information/current-election/#polling-locations
Any eligible voter can vote in the Democratic primary and do their part to help remove him.
FYI - the NY Post is about a half a step above the National Enquirer.
Even if that were true, they are spot on here. Garza is a catastrophe.AggieOO said:
FYI - the NY Post is about a half a step above the National Enquirer.
Looks like the brilliant voters of Travis County are going to re-elect this reprehensible DA.
Martin Cash said:
Looks like the brilliant voters of Travis County are going to re-elect this reprehensible DA.
Pretty stunning. 50+% votes in and Garza was up by about a 2 to 1 margin.
Despite austin still being safer than most big cities in the country and still safer the SA, Dallas and Houston.
Austin is growing rapidly and that expansion has had some issues but austin is still pretty damn safe.
But hey push the narrative that helps the GOP politicians!!!!
Austin is growing rapidly and that expansion has had some issues but austin is still pretty damn safe.
But hey push the narrative that helps the GOP politicians!!!!
Garza is not simply incompetent, he is despicable.cityagboy said:
Despite austin still being safer than most big cities in the country and still safer the SA, Dallas and Houston.
Austin is growing rapidly and that expansion has had some issues but austin is still pretty damn safe.
But hey push the narrative that helps the GOP politicians!!!!
JOHN2010 said:
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/austin-police-officer-shortage-leaves-portion-of-east-austin-without-patrol.amp
Yeah…. "Pretty damn safe"
Still safer than other big cities
Go tell APD to hire more cops. They have a larger budget than ever before. It's a YUGE budget.
Officers and potential new officers know that the council doesn't support them and that the DA will jump at the chance to prosecute them just for doing their job. When you are in this situation, you have to pay above and beyond the going rate to attract new hires. But you seem to enjoy it. We are headed to a bad place if we keep losing more police officers than we have new incoming police offers.
KT 90 said:
Officers and potential new officers know that the council doesn't support them and that the DA will jump at the chance to prosecute them just for doing their job. When you are in this situation, you have to pay above and beyond the going rate to attract new hires. But you seem to enjoy it. We are headed to a bad place if we keep losing more police officers than we have new incoming police offers.
Excuses for APD. Don't act like they are dealing with issues other cities aren't. They have the money. Make the hires.
But bottom line is that the city is still safer than Houston, Dallas, SA and most other large cities across the country.
The bottom line is that Austin is not safer than it was 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago. This failed anti-policing social movement is stupid, and Austin is headed in the wrong direction.
https://www.kvue.com/article/news/verify/austin-crime-jose-garza-verify/269-19a528ef-08df-4b6d-b717-3dbb81fbbae0Quote:
An article from a website called The Free Press claims, "Crime in Austin has soared under a progressive district attorney," referring to Garza. But the numbers tell a different story.
Crime reporting data from the Austin Police Department (APD) shows that in December 2020, before Garza took office as DA, 20,500 crime against people were committed through the whole year.
In 2023, several years into Garza's time as DA, that number was 2,000 less in the same timeframe.
Looking at property crimes, the statistics showed a similar trend. In 2020, there were a little over 53,000 property crimes. In 2023, that number was just under 47,000.
So crime has not increased while Garza has served as Travis County DA.
KT 90 said:
The bottom line is that Austin is not safer than it was 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago. This failed anti-policing social movement is stupid, and Austin is headed in the wrong direction.
Sure. There is truth to what you are saying. I haven't said otherwise. But it is nuanced with lots of reasons to the increase in crime. The main reason is simply that it's the fastest growing large city in the country. That transition hasn't been perfect but the police aren't the primary reason in either a positive or negative way.
The city's violent criminal offense rate is at 24.9 per 100,000 individuals, which is less than the national average of 22.7, while its property crime level has been measured as 55 out of every 100,000 people in the population making it highly desirable compared to other cities with comparable sizes.
Not to nit pick, but 24.9 per 100k is higher than 22.7 per 100k. As is typical for these arguments on this board, you are arguing the current levels, which are not extraordinary compared to other large cities, while others are discussing trajectory, which is not good.
So your contention is that APD has a huge pile of cash available to hire new officers and they are just sitting around counting it instead of hiring the officers they need? I don't think you understand the life of a cop or the pressures of the job if you think they can just snap their fingers and whistle up 500 more officers. Experienced officers are not looking to move into a job where the public dislikes them, the city leaders don't support them and are willing to use them as pawns for political purposes, and the DA is actively looking to put them on trial. And potential new cadets have plenty of other options with cities looking to grow their forces, so APD is having to compete hard for them too. If I were a cop, you would have to at least double my current salary to get me to leave a job where I was generally appreciated by the public and supported by the city leaders and DA to come to Austin. And realistically, no amount of money would get me to go work somewhere that I would go to work every day knowing that the DA was sitting in his office rubbing his hands together and hoping for the chance to charge me with a crime for something I did that day. I think you dramatically underestimate the impact Garza's past actions have on APDs current hiring woes.
So your contention is that APD has a huge pile of cash available to hire new officers and they are just sitting around counting it instead of hiring the officers they need? I don't think you understand the life of a cop or the pressures of the job if you think they can just snap their fingers and whistle up 500 more officers. Experienced officers are not looking to move into a job where the public dislikes them, the city leaders don't support them and are willing to use them as pawns for political purposes, and the DA is actively looking to put them on trial. And potential new cadets have plenty of other options with cities looking to grow their forces, so APD is having to compete hard for them too. If I were a cop, you would have to at least double my current salary to get me to leave a job where I was generally appreciated by the public and supported by the city leaders and DA to come to Austin. And realistically, no amount of money would get me to go work somewhere that I would go to work every day knowing that the DA was sitting in his office rubbing his hands together and hoping for the chance to charge me with a crime for something I did that day. I think you dramatically underestimate the impact Garza's past actions have on APDs current hiring woes.
txags92 said:
Not to nit pick, but 24.9 per 100k is higher than 22.7 per 100k. As is typical for these arguments on this board, you are arguing the current levels, which are not extraordinary compared to other large cities, while others are discussing trajectory, which is not good.
So your contention is that APD has a huge pile of cash available to hire new officers and they are just sitting around counting it instead of hiring the officers they need? I don't think you understand the life of a cop or the pressures of the job if you think they can just snap their fingers and whistle up 500 more officers. Experienced officers are not looking to move into a job where the public dislikes them, the city leaders don't support them and are willing to use them as pawns for political purposes, and the DA is actively looking to put them on trial. And potential new cadets have plenty of other options with cities looking to grow their forces, so APD is having to compete hard for them too. If I were a cop, you would have to at least double my current salary to get me to leave a job where I was generally appreciated by the public and supported by the city leaders and DA to come to Austin. And realistically, no amount of money would get me to go work somewhere that I would go to work every day knowing that the DA was sitting in his office rubbing his hands together and hoping for the chance to charge me with a crime for something I did that day. I think you dramatically underestimate the impact Garza's past actions have on APDs current hiring woes.
I have either addressed everything you just said or admitted Austin isn't perfect…. You are trying to go in circles hoping to be the last man standing so you can "win" … and obviously I got those numbers flipped…
"" Sure. There is truth to what you are saying. I haven't said otherwise. But it is nuanced with lots of reasons to the increase in crime. The main reason is simply that it's the fastest growing large city in the country. That transition hasn't been perfect but the police aren't the primary reason in either a positive or negative way.""
Just curious. Where do you live?
Wow, talk about trying to go in circles, we already had the "where do you live" discussion on another thread, so you don't need to tell us about your wife feeling comfortable jogging at night around your south lamar neighborhood. But if you would be so kind, please point me in the direction of your postings about the root cause of APD's manpower shortage if you believe they have all the money they need to fix it and just aren't doing it. I must have missed that one.
BTW, this is what I was responding to from you:
BTW, this is what I was responding to from you:
Quote:
Excuses for APD. Don't act like they are dealing with issues other cities aren't. They have the money. Make the hires.
txags92 said:
Wow, talk about trying to go in circles, we already had the "where do you live" discussion on another thread, so you don't need to tell us about your wife feeling comfortable jogging at night around your south lamar neighborhood. But if you would be so kind, please point me in the direction of your postings about the root cause of APD's manpower shortage if you believe they have all the money they need to fix it and just aren't doing it. I must have missed that one.
Did you answer? Maybe I missed that. I don't keep track of names on posts.
What is the cause of their shortage? They have had problems for many years. They don't pay enough for people to live in Austin despite having the money to pay more. They spend more time complaining than trying to help themselves. They don't make an attempt to better relations with people who live in Austin.
But also…. As I have said…. I don't think the police are even close to the main reason Austin has seen an increase in crime, positively or negatively.
They are offering significantly higher than HPD and SAPD, both for cadets ($50k per year) and for officers (min. $65k per year). And right now they are offering a $15k hiring bonus. Like I said before, it is about more than just money. HPD certainly has a lot of challenges too, but at least until now the DA was not actively anti-cop. We will see what happens with Soros' newest minion taking over for Kim Ogg in Harris County.cityagboy said:txags92 said:
Wow, talk about trying to go in circles, we already had the "where do you live" discussion on another thread, so you don't need to tell us about your wife feeling comfortable jogging at night around your south lamar neighborhood. But if you would be so kind, please point me in the direction of your postings about the root cause of APD's manpower shortage if you believe they have all the money they need to fix it and just aren't doing it. I must have missed that one.
Did you answer? Maybe I missed that. I don't keep track of names on posts.
What is the cause of their shortage? They have had problems for many years. They don't pay enough for people to live in Austin despite having the money to pay more. They spend more time complaining than trying to help themselves. They don't make an attempt to better relations with people who live in Austin.
But also…. As I have said…. I don't think the police are even close to the main reason Austin has seen an increase in crime, positively or negatively.
txags92 said:They are offering significantly higher than HPD and SAPD, both for cadets ($50k per year) and for officers (min. $65k per year). And right now they are offering a $15k hiring bonus. Like I said before, it is about more than just money. HPD certainly has a lot of challenges too, but at least until now the DA was not actively anti-cop. We will see what happens with Soros' newest minion taking over for Kim Ogg in Harris County.cityagboy said:txags92 said:
Wow, talk about trying to go in circles, we already had the "where do you live" discussion on another thread, so you don't need to tell us about your wife feeling comfortable jogging at night around your south lamar neighborhood. But if you would be so kind, please point me in the direction of your postings about the root cause of APD's manpower shortage if you believe they have all the money they need to fix it and just aren't doing it. I must have missed that one.
Did you answer? Maybe I missed that. I don't keep track of names on posts.
What is the cause of their shortage? They have had problems for many years. They don't pay enough for people to live in Austin despite having the money to pay more. They spend more time complaining than trying to help themselves. They don't make an attempt to better relations with people who live in Austin.
But also…. As I have said…. I don't think the police are even close to the main reason Austin has seen an increase in crime, positively or negatively.
65k isn't enough to live in Austin. They have the money to pay more. They waste A LOT of money on dumb crap
Property crime is creeping up but it is in all urban areas. They simply undertake policies that depress reporting because the public knows it is ineffective to do so, so the statistics don't look as bad as they really are. You see the public invest more expense in protective measures and security, which contributes to increased costs passed on to all local consumers.
So where do all the students attending UT live? Where do all the fast food and retail workers live? Because they aren't making $65k either and somehow they manage to live and work in Austin. It may not be enough to buy a house in Austin, but you can certainly afford an apartment on $65k, and the wages go up pretty quickly. The range shown for a police officer in Austin is $65k-109k. If you go through the academy, you are making $81k by your 2 year anniversary and $92k at 10 years. The pay for a corporal/detective is $88-119k. That doesn't count all the extra incentives for education/certification, night/evening shifts, etc. The pay being offered is more than competitive with any other force in Texas.
students either rack up loans or student debt. Fast food workers take the bus in from the distant burbs. It is a big issue for employers who don't pay much. Public transit needs major upgrades cause people can spend up to two hours coming in from Leander and Manortxags92 said:
So where do all the students attending UT live? Where do all the fast food and retail workers live? Because they aren't making $65k either and somehow they manage to live and work in Austin. It may not be enough to buy a house in Austin, but you can certainly afford an apartment on $65k, and the wages go up pretty quickly. The range shown for a police officer in Austin is $65k-109k. If you go through the academy, you are making $81k by your 2 year anniversary and $92k at 10 years. The pay for a corporal/detective is $88-119k. That doesn't count all the extra incentives for education/certification, night/evening shifts, etc. The pay being offered is more than competitive with any other force in Texas.
Plenty of people live on $65k, they just have roommates. Agree it would be tough to raise a family on that salary alone though.
Or working spouses/GF/BF210 said:
Plenty of people live on $65k, they just have roommates. Agree it would be tough to raise a family on that salary alone though.
Many people over 25 don't want a roommate. Many people are single. And Austin is a very expensive city both for rent and other living expenses. Affordable housing and public transportation are real problems that city leadership has done a poor job on.
This article is from 2022 but does a good job of breaking down the real cost of rent in austin although it has gone up since it was written
https://www.kut.org/austin/2022-10-07/monthly-rent-cost-austin
Another from July of 2023
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/housing-cost-living-austin-texas-expensive-real-estate.amp
Last I saw was that you needed about $120k minimum to BUY a condo or small home in austin and about $160k for a couple with no kids. (Yes, there are people who bought a long time ago who make much less than that)
I believe the number to live comfortably as a solo renter was just under $90k if you don't have significant debt to pay off.
Let's be honest most police officers aren't going to want a tiny apartment or have random roommates
This article is from 2022 but does a good job of breaking down the real cost of rent in austin although it has gone up since it was written
https://www.kut.org/austin/2022-10-07/monthly-rent-cost-austin
Another from July of 2023
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/housing-cost-living-austin-texas-expensive-real-estate.amp
Last I saw was that you needed about $120k minimum to BUY a condo or small home in austin and about $160k for a couple with no kids. (Yes, there are people who bought a long time ago who make much less than that)
I believe the number to live comfortably as a solo renter was just under $90k if you don't have significant debt to pay off.
Let's be honest most police officers aren't going to want a tiny apartment or have random roommates
Obligatory Austin board check in to see if another drowned body has popped up. It seems like it has been 2 or 3 weeks since the last one.
. Yeah. It's a serious issue. I believe it's a serial killer but the police are saying it's not.Struggle and Strifer said:
Obligatory Austin board check in to see if another drowned body has popped up. It seems like it has been 2 or 3 weeks since the last one.
Weird thing to come troll about
Not trying to troll. I believe that this is a serial killer and that there will be escalation. I also believe that the city council's attempts to neuter APD will only make this issue worse. Austin is not a city that I would want to linger around in due to safety concerns.
read the thread. If you don't live in austin you are here to troll. APD is ok with a huge budgetStruggle and Strifer said:
Not trying to troll. I believe that this is a serial killer and that there will be escalation. I also believe that the city council's attempts to neuter APD will only make this issue worse. Austin is not a city that I would want to linger around in due to safety concerns.
Go talk **** on the Houston, San Antonio, Lubbock, Beaumont, Dallas and Mesquite boards cause all of those cities are more dangerous than Austin
I am good friends with an HPD cop that lived in an apartment for about his first 5 years on the force with an HPD buddy that he went through the academy with, and then he bought a house out in Cypress and commuted into work for the next 20 years. No reason the roommate has to be a random stranger or that they have to live in Austin. We have several Travis County Sheriffs, DPS, and APD that live out here in Bastrop County.cityagboy said:
Many people over 25 don't want a roommate. Many people are single. And Austin is a very expensive city both for rent and other living expenses. Affordable housing and public transportation are real problems that city leadership has done a poor job on.
This article is from 2022 but does a good job of breaking down the real cost of rent in austin although it has gone up since it was written
https://www.kut.org/austin/2022-10-07/monthly-rent-cost-austin
Another from July of 2023
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/housing-cost-living-austin-texas-expensive-real-estate.amp
Last I saw was that you needed about $120k minimum to BUY a condo or small home in austin and about $160k for a couple with no kids. (Yes, there are people who bought a long time ago who make much less than that)
I believe the number to live comfortably as a solo renter was just under $90k if you don't have significant debt to pay off.
Let's be honest most police officers aren't going to want a tiny apartment or have random roommates
It is such a silly argument these days that every job has to be able to pay for a single person to buy an average priced house in the city where their job is. Single people working entry level jobs are not the "average" person and shouldn't be expected to afford an "average priced" small home or condo. They should expect to live in an entry level apartment or condo with a roommate. And you can't just start paying an entry level cop $90k per year without every other cop on the force wanting their pay to be increased accordingly. Realistically, the number of cops joining the force are limited by the ability to train cadet class sizes and the ability to recruit from other departments. Presumably, the recruits you are trying to pull from other agencies are going to have at least a few years of experience, and between educational uplifts, certification pay, shift bonuses, overtime, etc. they are going to make well over $90k their first year, and that $15k hiring bonus will go a long way towards helping with a down payment if they do want to buy instead of renting. It isn't a money problem...it is an "everybody hates you and the DA wants to put you in jail because you are a cop" problem.
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