Even prior to the vaccine mandates, police across the country were leaving the job or retiring early in droves, thanks in large part to the anti-police sentiment that swept the nation in the aftermath of George Floyd's death. To make matters worse, Democrats in major cities caved to defund-the-police demands and slashed law enforcement budgets, leaving the remaining officers with fewer resources to perform their duties. Adding Covid-19 mitigation protocols to the mix hasn't helped matters either.
In Austin, Texas, certain 911 calls are now going to go unanswered.
The Austin Police Department announced last week that it would no longer be responding to non-life threatening 911 calls, such as car accidents without injuries or burglaries where the suspect has already left the scene. Instead, residents can call a separate number to file a police report.
The staffing shortages and inability to respond to non-life threatening 911 calls is a direct result of the Austin City Council cutting $150 million of the department's budget, and other changes that were implemented affecting how the department operates.
"As a result of a recent review of APD’s patrol COVID mitigation protocols initiated in May 2020, recent staffing challenges and aligning with the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force patrol response recommendations, APD will change call routing and response for non-emergency calls for service effective October 1, 2021," she said.
Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday told Fox News that APD hasn’t been able to hire new officers because it hasn’t been able to have a police academy for nearly two years. As a result, there aren’t enough patrol officers to respond to non-emergency calls.
"Probably about 95% of the time our shifts don’t meet minimum staffing … and that is the reason they’ve started cutting back on what types of calls are answered," Casaday said. "It’s not optimal. It’s not providing a quality service to the community. But the community also needs to understand that we’re under a dire staffing crisis." (Tyler Morning Telegraph)
While the cadet classes have resumed, APD is wasting hundreds of thousands on a consulting firm to offer Critical Race Theory training, according to Tyler Morning Telegraph.
Activist group Save Austin Now is pushing back and was successful in getting a measure to restore police funding on the ballot in November.
"November 2nd, we get to vote on public safety: A massive bipartisan coalition of Austinites agree that it was a mistake to slash our public safety in 2019," the group said. "Since then, crime has skyrocketed and our most vulnerable neighbors suffer the most. Amidst record 13 minute 911 response times and a 185% increase in homicides, we simply must come together for a safe Austin and vote yes for Prop A."
Gov. Abbott also signed a number of laws in June that "create two new barriers to big cities that wish to reduce their law enforcement budgets," according to the Texas Tribune.