Crime & Justice

The U.S. sued Texas after the Biden administration vowed to oppose Texas’ new near-total abortion ban. The lawsuit joins several legal challenges already in progress.

Austin's interim chief is asking people to report non-emergencies to 311 or ireportaustin.com for a police follow-up.

The number of murders in the U.S. rose nearly 30 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year, according to FBI statistics. It is the largest single-year increase since the record-keeping began.

If approved by the City Council, Chacon will take leadership of the Austin Police Department at a time when the city is seeing a rise in crime and seeking reforms to policing.

Mano Amiga, a local nonprofit focusing on criminal justice reform, wants to end legal penalties for marijuana possession in the city by next year.

With months still left in 2021, Austin has recorded 60 homicides, the highest number the city has had in a year since the police department began keeping track.

Senate Bill 6 will bar those accused of violent crimes from being released from jail before trial unless they can put up cash. That provision of the bill will go into effect Dec. 2.

John Ramirez was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2004 robbery and stabbing death of Pablo Castro, a convenience store clerk in Corpus Christi.

An Austin police officer shot and killed 20-year-old Jason Roque in May 2017. Roque’s mother had called 911 after her son threatened to kill himself. When police arrived, Roque was holding a BB gun on the family’s front lawn.

The court ruled the city was correct in modifying the language to include the potential financial impact, but that other changes were not warranted.