Southwest Austin - Dripping Springs Edition | January 2022

CITY&COUNTY

Updates on important issues facing local entities

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Violence prevention, stang among 2022 public safety priorities AUSTIN In 2022, violent crime pre- vention as well as ocer stang and accountability continue to dominate public safety discussions. BY BEN THOMPSON Several initiatives aimed at curbing violence in the area are underway at the city level and in partnership with other organizations. NEWSTRATEGIES

Austin is also coming o a year in which the city recorded 88 murders. While that gure does not account for the city’s growing population, Chacon and others have said reduc- ing violence—especially involving guns—remains a top public safety priority. One piece of the city’s eorts to combat violent crime is Austin Public Health’s Oce of Violence Preven- tion, or OVP, a team formed from the work of an earlier task force on gun violence in the city. After its rst year in operation OVP Manager Michelle Myles said the oce is now focused on rolling out several initiatives aimed at reducing murders as well as violence and stress in the community overall. In 2022, the oce will expand its community violence intervention programming, open grants for targeted neighborhood investments

Police Chief Joseph Chacon is con- tinuing to push for increased stang at the Austin Police Department to address vacancies as he prepares to welcome graduates from the rst cadet academy in over a year in at the end of January. Over the last two years, APD saw shifts in funding as city ocials reacted to concerns over police mis- conduct in the wake of high-prole police killings and community calls for reform. However, the depart- ment’s budget for the current scal year is its largest ever. And, House Bill 1900, passed into law in 2021, means Austin cannot drop police funding below its current level again without risking state penalties.

and launch a campaign on addressing rising stress—which Myles high- lighted as a key factor in the past two years’ rise in homicides. “We’re going to surge resources SAFER SIXTH STREET A team led by police and city sta is recommending several changes including diversifying activity on East Sixth Street, increasing safety training for businesses and creating an emergency services staging area. COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION The oce of violence prevention, or OVP, and National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform are partnering on several programs that will link communities with “violence

into the community and work with the community to help decide how to utilize those resources and what needs to be done so that we can quell the violence in the area,” Myles said. interrupters” and resources. COMMUNITY GRANTS The OVP will also launch a new community-rooted grant program to support local violence prevention and healing investments. STRESS REDUCTION CAMPAIGN A new stress management campaign will also begin in 2022 to address what the OVP views as a key contributor to rising violence during the pandemic. SOURCES: CITY OF AUSTIN, OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTIONCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

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