This Austin Police Union podcast features candid interviews with officers and detectives from units that experienced budget cuts or were disbanded altogether.
The Austin Police Union has recently launched a podcast series titled “Defunded,” shedding light on the consequences of the drive to defund their department
APA President Thomas Villareal expressed his intention to discuss the agency’s history over the past six years.
Eventually, the city council unanimously voted to reduce Austin Police Union’s budget by approximately $150 million. Subsequently, the state legislature passed a law mandating Austin to reinstate the funding it had previously cut. Numerous Austin Police Union police officers had retired or chosen to leave the force, and the cancellation of police academy classes made it impossible to replace them.
The Austin Police Union podcast arrives amidst the city’s suspension of its partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety, which began in March due to a surge in crime following the city council’s decision to slash the police department’s budget.
Cpl. Christopher Irwin, one of the Austin Police Union podcast’s co-hosts and APA chair, challenges the notion that the department has recovered all the lost funding
He points out that officers and staff tend to leave in large numbers every time the department faces upheaval. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson suspended the APD-DPS partnership after reports of a controversial traffic stop involving Texas state troopers surfaced. Initial reports suggested that troopers had aimed a gun at a 10-year-old boy during the incident.
The Austin Police Union “Defunded” podcast series aims to provide a comprehensive exploration of the challenges and complexities arising from the defunding process and its impact on the Austin Police Department, with interviews offering valuable insights from those directly affected by the changes.
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