AUSTIN, Texas – Austin has suspended its controversial partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety to police the streets of the capital city, an official announced Wednesday.
The program, aimed at helping fill staffing shortages and decrease 911 call response times, is being suspended. Earlier this week, a state trooper pointed a gun at a 10-year-old who exited a vehicle during a traffic stop Sunday, reported Fox station KTBC. On Monday, another state police officer shot a man in the arm after a car chase, reported NBC station KXAN.
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The mayor and council members have raised concerns over “recent events,” said Interim City Manager Jesus Garza in a statement Wednesday.
“We must have absolute certainty that any solution we put in place maintains the trust and wellbeing of our community members and that all law enforcement officers working to keep our city safe are on the same page when it comes to policing practices,” said Garza.
The partnership began in March and was originally created by Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov Dan Patrick. The program has decreased violent and gun crime and led to fewer traffic fatalities, shorter 911 call response times, and “seizures of significant amounts of illicit drugs, including fentanyl and heroin," the city’s statement said.
Watson did not immediately respond to a request for comment to specify which recent events led to the suspension of the program.
The program was first suspended in May to reassign state police officers to the Texas-Mexico border and was restarted on July 2.