Government
BY BEN THOMPSON
Northwest Austin gains safety center
Zooming in
As much of District 6 is situated north of the Travis County line, Kelly said the facility also represents the city’s ongoing partnership with Williamson County law enforcement officials. Williamson County Sheriff Mike Gleason noted that while he aims to see more substations added across his 1,124-square-mile service area, Austin’s trailer is a new community support. The public safety trailer was pulled from the city’s fleet and comes with no additional startup costs, according to the District 6 office. Ongoing expenses such as fuel and maintenance will be covered by APD. The center won’t be staffed 24/7, and officials said residents should still call 911 first in case of an emergency.
officers a reason to stop by so we have a more visible presence in the area.” The new addition may also help address the lack of law enforcement facilities in the surrounding area, Kelly said, as there are no city police or county sheriff’s offices nearby. Northwest Austin continues to experience some of the longest response times for priority 911 calls citywide, according to police data. As of this spring, the Austin Police Department took more than 12 1/2 minutes on average to respond to emergency, or P0, calls in District 6. For urgent, or P1, calls, response times averaged more than 20 minutes—the highest of any council district.
A new law enforcement resource opened in Northwest Austin near city limits this summer. District 6 council member Mackenzie Kelly said the arrival of a new public safety center—a city trailer stationed at 10800 Pecan Park Blvd.— came after residents asked for a heightened public safety presence in the area. The trailer will be used by officers working in the area, and can be visited by residents needing a secure place for business interactions. “District 6 has always been historically underserved by a police presence,” Kelly said. “It has always been my goal to further public safety in the community. I believe one way that we can do that is just like we’re doing today; put assets and resources here to give the
Austin Police Department response times* 25 Emergency 911 calls (P0) Urgent 911 calls (P1)
Target average response time
Next steps
20:10
2024 Austin City Council districts
20
Kelly requested additional police presence in Northwest Austin in 2023, when she asked to place a facility at the city-owned Pecan Gardens supportive housing facility. The new center sits across the street from Pecan Gardens as a “stopgap” until Northwest Austin gets a permanent police substation, she said. A new police facility is planned at the Canyon Creek fire and EMS station opening in 2025 off RM 620. However, funding has yet to be identified for the police station.
183
12:67
45 TOLL
15
6
7
10:44
620
10
4
10
290
MOPAC
3 9 1
130 TOLL
8
5
290
5 2
71
35
183
0
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10
N
City council district
SOURCE: AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT/COMMUNITY IMPACT *DATA FROM APRIL THROUGH JUNE 19, 2024
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CEDAR PARK - FAR NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION
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