With neighborhoods such as Pond Springs and Anderson Mill added into the fold as recently as 2005 and 2008, respectively, the result is that parts of Northwest Austin are “historically underserved” when it comes to public safety, said Mackenzie Kelly, outgoing District 6 City Council member.
Lacking its own police substation or public safety resource center, District 6 has some of the longest police response times in the city.
Efforts such as a new police contract and temporary public safety trailer ahead of a future police substation are aiming to strengthen law enforcement presence in the area and reduce these times.
The big picture
District 6 is one of the furthest districts from the city center, Kelly said. If the Austin Police Department responds to a call in D6 from the nearest substation—located on the southeastern edge of the district—it could take 20 to 30 minutes for them to arrive.
D6 neighborhoods such as Anderson Mill and Jollyville also have portions in both Travis and Williamson counties. District 6 council member-elect Krista Laine said 60% of the district falls in Williamson County, with 40% in Travis County and other areas located in the extraterritorial jurisdiction encircled by the city of Austin—all of which can prolong police response times.
“I do think that part of the issue in District 6 is how 911 calls are being initially handled, moving through dispatch and getting to the right jurisdiction,” Laine said.
On the county side, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office often works with other agencies, such as the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office or APD, if a call ends up crossing into the other’s jurisdiction, said Scott Crowe, TCSO’s east command captain.
“We do a really good job of what we call mutual aid,” Crowe said.
Something to note
Austin City Council approved a $218 million, five-year contract with the Austin Police Association in a 10-1 vote Oct. 24.
APD North Patrol Commander Shauna Griffin said staffing shortages continue to be the “No. 1 issue” leading to longer response times but hopes the new contract will help with recruiting and stability.
Contract opponents have voiced concerns about city budget impacts and police accountability issues that were tied to voter-approved oversight measures as part of the contract process.
According to APD officials, as of October 2024, there were:
- 1,498 sworn officers
- 318 officer vacancies
- A 1:654.12 officer-to-citizen ratio
Some residents have expressed concerns that the multiple jurisdictions in the area could be behind the delays, as APD and TCSO utilize the same dispatch computer system, Crowe said.
The city of Austin builds out the dispatch maps that include which jurisdictions are covered by the city or county, he said. When a 911 caller provides an address or their location is pinged from a cellphone tower during a priority call, the address automatically shows up with the responding jurisdiction, indicating which agency to dispatch.
However, Crowe said calls that bounce off these towers—such as callers who are driving and reporting a collision, or need assistance but do not know where they are—can delay the dispatch process.
“[The call] could be in the county, but they’re actually in the city,” Crowe said. “Our dispatchers themselves have to determine that.”
Laine also said APD receives a wide range of calls, but some get deprioritized, which could be handled differently.
“A lot of that looks appropriate to me in terms of what capacity they have, but the person calling 911 is not told, ‘This is a different way to handle this,’ or, ‘This has been deprioritized,’” Laine said.
Ensuring D6 has adequate access to public safety initiatives like other parts of the city is another piece, Laine said.
Laine said the district has had one of the fastest growth rates of people experiencing homelessness in the last two years, which she believes has taken up “a lot of policing time,” but the city’s Homeless Engagement Assistance Response Team works in Central Austin and does not reach D6.
“We need to have a better resolution on some of those issues because we can’t accept that we’re just going to have long response times,” Laine said.
Quote of note
“As long as there’s somebody there that can start and make the scene safe, then the rest can be worked later on as needed.” Scott Crowe, TCSO's east command captain
Did you know?
The city and APD opened a public safety trailer in far Northwest Austin in July. Officials say the trailer is not staffed 24/7, and residents should still call 911 in an emergency, but it is meant to be a “stopgap” until a future police substation is built in the area.
“It’s really important for us as a community and as a city to support community policing initiatives so that we can have more positive outcomes with the officers when something bad does happen,” Kelly said.
Another use for the trailer many people don’t consider, Kelly said, is for officers to be able to take their duty belt off when using the bathroom.
“On that duty belt is a Taser, handcuffs, a gun,” Kelly said. “If they’re going into a public bathroom, it’s a lot more dangerous for them to remove their belts.”
Laine, however, said the trailer may take time to get used and “into people’s routine,” and is looking instead to shift the focus from distance to resolving response issues within police dispatch.
“I didn’t see any signs that it significantly impacted police coming by that area, which I know was the goal,” Laine said. “I know that area was hopeful to get something that would bring a little bit more presence, but it doesn’t look like that was it. We at [the] City Council need to make sure that the actions that are being taken will actually be impactful.”
APD officials said some of the public safety trailer uses include:
- Making police reports
- Filling out paperwork or working on investigations
- Community engagement
- Having a police presence in an underserved area
Griffin said plans are in the works for a police substation to be built behind the new Canyon Creek fire and emergency medical service station.
The fire and EMS station, which is expected to be complete in early 2025, will be located on the edge of districts 6 and 10 and serve Northwest Austin communities such as Canyon Creek, River Place and Anderson Mill.
While there is no timeline for the police substation yet, Griffin said officer responses and the types of calls received are “always being evaluated.”
District 6 response times have lowered since June, when it took an average of 12.67 minutes for officers to respond to Priority 0 calls and 20.1 minutes for Priority 1 calls.
