Austin’s Downtown Safety Team to Double in Size
Starting July 1, residents and visitors to downtown Austin, Texas can look forward to an increased feeling of safety, as the city’s downtown safety team is set to double its current size, from three to six members. This move comes as part of a broader initiative to curb crime and maintain cleanliness in the downtown area.
Doubling Efforts for Safer Streets
Austin’s Downtown Ambassadors, who are popularly known for roles like picking up trash and tending to the cleanliness of streets and sidewalks, now have a bigger task ahead. This ranges from 6th street to Republic Square Park. The Downtown Austin Alliance, the umbrella body responsible for ensuring a clean and welcoming downtown, has acknowledged a pressing need to buttress safety measures in the region.
Over recent years, Austin Police Department’s resources have been stretched thin, causing lower-level offenses like Class C misdemeanors to often go unaddressed. This need for greater enforcement and vigilance has led to the inception of an expanded downtown safety team.
A Focus on Non-Emergency Crimes
The safety team members operate between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m in the downtown area, focusing on tackling non-emergency, Class C misdemeanors. One team member is also assigned to patrol Republic Square Park each night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
This initiative is a direct response to the growing need to address non-emergency crimes associated with homelessness, like public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and overnight illegal camping, particularly prevalent in Republic Square Park. The enforcement of these specific ordinances has been credited by the Downtown Austin Alliance for the successful reduction of such incidents.
Positive Impact and Further Expansion
In May, safety team members had 601 interactions with individuals in the park and Downtown Austin, requesting people to voluntarily comply with the ordinances. It was reported that as many as 81% of those requests were met with voluntary compliance from the individuals involved.
The doubling of the downtown safety team’s size is just one facet of the plan to bolster safety and cleanliness. The final phase of this initiative, set to commence this fall, will amplify these efforts by bringing even more staffing to the downtown area.
By ramping up both the visibility and action of its safety team, the City of Austin takes a confident step towards creating a safer, cleaner and more welcoming downtown area for both locals and visitors. The evasion of non-emergency offenses and the consideration for marginalized groups are taken into account to tackle existing issues and prevent them from escalating.