Austin Police Department


Austin Police Department is the principal law enforcement agency serving Austin, Texas. As of fiscal year 2022, the agency had an annual budget of $443.1 million and employed around 2,484 personnel, including approximately 1,809 officers. The department also employs 24 K-9 police dogs and 16 horses., Lisa Davis is the current chief of police.

History

Shooting of Michael Ramos

On April 24, 2020, Officer Christopher Taylor, and other officers, were dispatched to a Southeast Side apartment complex for a report of drug dealing. The caller told dispatchers they believed the man, later identified as 42-year-old Michael Ramos, had a firearm. Responding officers stated Ramos ignored commands and a bean bag projectile before he got into his car and attempted to flee. Taylor's attorneys say he opened fire on Ramos believing other officers were in the path of the vehicle. Ramos was struck by the gunfire and later pronounced deceased. Ramos was unarmed.
Ramos' death, and the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis one month later, prompted weeks of protests in Austin throughout the summer of 2020. During the protests, two demonstrators were severely injured by rubber bullets deployed by officers.

Budget cuts

In August 2020, the Austin City Council voted unanimously to reduce the department's budget of $434 million by approximately $150 million. Then councilman Greg Casar introduced a three-part plan which called for an immediate reallocation of $21.5 million of the department's budget to social services. Other budget reduction measures included eliminating 150 vacant officer positions, and declining to add 30 new officer positions that had been budgeted as part of a broader staffing plan. The Texas Tribune reported the cuts to be "among the largest percentage decreases in the nation this year." In the same year, Austin city manager Spencer Cronk placed a moratorium on Austin Police Department cadet classes to allow for an audit of the training academy materials and curriculum.
In 2021, 210 Austin police officers left the department, which was more than the two previous years combined.
The City of Austin's approved 2024-25 budget gives insight into the direction of Austin’s police spending. The Austin Police Department’s 2024-25 approved budget is $496,601,181 and the 2025-26 planned budget is $503,699,330. The APD Amended annual budget for 2020-21 was $309,706,558.

Trial of Christopher Taylor

Travis County district attorney Jose Garza brought the shooting before a grand jury in 2021 and a grand jury returned a true bill of indictment against Taylor for murder. In May 2023, a judge declared a mistrial in Taylor's case following issues selecting a jury. The judge reset the trial for October 2023. Taylor is reportedly the first officer to be charged with murder for on-duty conduct. Taylor was indicted for the fatal on-duty shooting of 46-year-old neuroscientist Mauris DeSilva while DeSilva was having a mental health crisis. A jury in Travis County found Taylor guilty of deadly conduct on October 5, 2024. He was later sentenced to 2 years in prison. Taylor was first indicted for murder, but the charge was lessened to deadly conduct a week before the testimony. Travis County prosecutors dropped the murder charge against Taylor related to the fatal shooting of Michael Ramos, on February 21.

No longer responding to "non-emergencies"

In October 2021, chief Joseph Chacon announced officers would no longer respond to non-emergency calls due to severe staffing shortages and at the recommendation of the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force. The policy, which took effect October 1, 2021, applies to burglaries no longer in progress, vehicle thefts, and vehicle collisions without injuries. Those who are seeking to make a report are fielded to 311 or encouraged to fill out a report on iReportAustin.com.

Automated license plate reader program

In June 2025, The Austin Chronicle reported that up to 20% of searches performed by officers during the pilot period of the APD's automated license plate reader program were performed without a clearly documented reason or case number attached to the search. Later the same month, following criticism from city residents and council members, the Austin City Council declined to vote on renewing the program, allowing the city's contract with Flock Safety to expire at the end of the month.

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the Austin Police Department, twenty-four officers have died in the line of duty.