SAFE Austin Now Reboots With Goal Of 50K Petition Signatures

Save Austin Now and its related PAC were wildly successful in attracting a bipartisan majority of Austin voters to reverse the city's disastrous homeless camping policy.

Now as they attempt to wrestle the City of Austin into enforcing the restored camping ban, another project begins as the group shifts gears. Police reform is now the focus as Save Austin Now begins its Safe Austin Now initiative, starting with a goal of reaching 50,000 petition signatures by mid-summer. See press conference video for specifics.

The petition aims to place on the November 2021 ballot a sweeping package of proposals that, according to a press release distributed at the event:

• "ENSURES ADEQUATE POLICE STAFFING: Requires a minimum of 2.0 police officers per 1,000 population, a nationally recognized standard for safe cities, combined with a minimum of 35% community response time (or uncommitted time)
  
  
• "DOUBLES POLICE TRAINING: Requires an additional 40 hours of post-cadet class training hours per year, making Austin the national model for police training
  
  
• "ENACTS POLICE REFORMS: Includes provisions to boost minority hiring (through foreign language proficiency), ensure racially diverse community policing, and provides retention bonuses for officers without police complaints (‘Good Conduct Medal eligible officers)

Austin residents may review the petition at SaveAustinNow.com.

The problem, as former and future Republican HD 47 contender Justin Berry, an Austin PD officer, said, is that city leaders have adopted "a prophesy of failure" -- that is, as the city grows it claims there is no alternative but to cut back police services and selectively enforce crimes. Rather, according to Save Austin Now co-founder Matt Mackowiak, a growing city demands a well-funded and supported law enforcement presence.

"It's astounding that we as citizens have to come together to our support law enforcement, but that's where we are," Mackowiak said, referencing recent cuts to the Austin Police Department in the amount $150 million or nearly a third of its budget. 

Homicides are on track to double last year’s all-time record, he said, while police staffing level is equal to 2008, when Austin was almost half as populated. Mackowiak and Save Austin Now co-founder Cleo Petricek said a steady bleed of officers from the APD is affecting readiness and response times and officer morale is at a recent nadir point without an ability to adequately recruit or even pay overtime. 

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, one of the press conference speakers, said the rising crime rate is one contributing factor to runaway growth in neighboring communities in Hays and Williamson counties. "When we hear the city council talking about planting flowers or adding bike lanes when it's unsafe to walk around downtown Austin, you wonder why people want to leave the city in droves," Roy said, hoping for a return to its previous standing.

Also on the speaking list were Brent Webster and Aaron Reitz of the Texas Attorney General's Office (Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton was reportedly unable to attend), Austin City Council member for District 6 Mackenzie Kelly, former Austin Council member Ellen Troxclair, Erwin Ballarta of the Texas Police Association (who said it is somewhat rare for the organization to speak up on a local ballot initiative), as well as other representative of supporting organizations of the Safe Austin Now project: SafeHorns (a University of Texas campus safety organization), Austin Police Association, Texas Police Association, Texas Municipal Police Association, Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas (CLEAT), Austin Retired Police Officers Association, United Hispanic Contractors Association, and Amigos En Azul (a Hispanic officers support group).