Police Monitor's Report Gives APD a Mixed Review
Austin’s police monitor has released an annual report for 2010. The report says complaints filed against APD officers are down. 753 complaints were filed last year compared to 913 in 2009.
The report says data on traffic stops show police don’t pull people over based on race and ethnicity, but what happens after the stop is different. African-Americans are almost three times as likely as whites to be searched, while Hispanics are over twice as likely as whites to be searched. Despite the disparity, APD did not find minorities had contraband at a rate significantly higher than whites. You can read Police Monitor Margo Frasier's full report here.
AFD Controls East Austin Brush Fire
**Update: AFD says all units cleared the scene at about 7 a.m.
The Austin Fire Department says a brush fire near Airport and Springdale Road is under control. Firefighters have been working the 2-acre fire since about 1 a.m. No homes were threatened and the cause is still unknown.
TEA Laying Off More Workers
The Texas Education Agency is laying off 178 employees this week. That's according to the Austin American-Statesman:
The TEA decision has been months in the making, as the agency seeks to reduce its staff by 32 percent to cope with budget cuts ordered by the Texas Legislature, an agency spokeswoman said. This week's layoffs come on the heels of 91 layoffs by the agency in February, with another 74 people retiring, quitting or transferring this year.