[FOXNEWS] Austin has seen a spike in violent mostly peaceful crime and officer retirements after the city council voted over the summer to immediately slash $20 million from the police department budget, becoming the first major Texas city to do so.
In August, Austin City Council members voted unanimously to cut about $150 million, or roughly one-third, from its police department and allocate those funds to areas like violence prevention, housing and mental health services. Only about $21.5 million was immediately removed from the department's funding in part by canceling three upcoming cadet classes and slashing overtime expenses.
"It is demoralizing for the officers. It is angering for the citizens because they're having to wait longer for officers to get the calls. And it's unsafe for citizens and officers," Austin Police Association President Bill Cassidy told Fox News.
Since voting to defund the police, Austin, a historically low-crime city, has seen an uptick in murders and aggravated assaults, according to data from the Austin Police Department's September crime report. So far this year, Austin has seen 35 murders, compared to 25 in all of 2019, a percentage increase of 40%. In September, the city saw three murders, compared to two last year.
The number of aggravated assaults is also on the rise, jumping by 18% from last year, when 1,972 were reported, to 2,333 reported in the first eight months of this year.
"Our murder rate's the highest it's ever been," Cassidy said.
The department is also coping with an abnormally high attrition rate. Officers attribute the higher-than-usual departure rate to what they view as anti-police sentiment and a lack of support by community members and city leaders. 
|
