Austin's Public Safety Commission will stay busy this evening discussing a medley of public safety topics:
- The commission will get an overview of homeless and transient demographics today. Austin police have recently been cracking down on crimes often committed by the homeless.
- The commission is also looking staffing and other issues at Austin-Travis County EMS. The department recently suffered a black eye when an audit found money-handling processes were so bad that EMS was at risk of having money stolen and not even realizing it.
- The city’s considering an outside review of the staffing of the department. A similar study of the Austin Police Department showed APD needs hundreds of new officers and staff over the next several years.
- The commission will take a look at its eyewitness and lineup policies. A state law enacted last session made all Texas law enforcement agencies adopt new eyewitness identification procedures.
- Assistant Police Chief Raul Munguia will brief the commission about crime and quality of life in West Campus. The student living neighborhood typically has a surprisingly high crime rate.
The meeting got underway at 4 p.m.: you can watch the commission online.