Government
BY ELISABETH JIMENEZ, HALEY MCLEOD & BEN THOMPSON
Police license plate reader program halted The Austin Police Department’s use of hundreds of automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, will end this month following community opposition against the data collection initiative. What happened City Council was scheduled to vote on June 5 to inde nitely continue an ALPR program. However, public pushback this month led City Manager T.C. Broadnax to withdraw the item to more closely vet the program. An APD spokesperson said the department supports the move to allow for more review and public engagement. Zooming in After city o cials suspended the use of ALPRs in 2020, the technology returned under a one-year pilot program with council-imposed guidelines related to privacy and data-sharing with outside law enforcement agencies. It started last March and was temporarily extended this spring, and a city audit of program results was released in May. APD Chief Lisa Davis said ALPRs were key to solving dozens of criminal cases since early 2024. Opponents on the council dais and in the commu- nity have said the cameras represent surveillance overreach, and that Austin’s contract with public safety technology company Flock Safety allows for unwanted data-sharing with agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ALPR software used in dozens of xed spots and more than 500 police vehicles will now be shut o . While some o cials said they wouldn’t support ALPRs in any form, a program extension could still be considered by the end of 2025.
Vape sales could be banned near schools New vape shops in Austin will soon be prohibited from selling vape products near schools and daycares. The details A City Council resolution approved this spring calls to prohibit the sale of e-cig- arettes and synthetic nicotine products within 1,000 feet of Austin daycares and public and private schools. City sta will also engage with schools, parents and impacted businesses to receive stakeholder feedback before the policy— which won’t apply to existing shops—when it goes into e ect. A draft of the vape-ban ordinance will be presented to council by mid-September. Dig deeper Council member Krista Laine, who drafted the resolution, said the presence of vape shops near schools is harmful for students and that mandatory district discipline related to vaping can negatively a ect stu- dent learning. Council member Chito Vela said a sales ban could avoid such discipline. “This resolution is a step toward protect- ing our students from unnecessary crimi- nalization and supporting their health and future,” Vela said. The resolution was supported by Texans for Safe Drug-Free Youth, the American Lung Association, and state Sens. Molly Cook, D Houston, and Donna Campbell, R New Braunfels.
Council member Mike Siegel joined other o cials and community groups opposed to the program on June 4.
BEN THOMPSON COMMUNITY IMPACT
Millions of license plate scans led to dozens of arrests under a city pilot program. Austin automated license plate reader program results
License plate scans
40M
37,697,936
30M
23,623,874
20M
13,790,311
10M
0
Trial Q1
Trial Q2
Trial Q3
Arrests
Prosecutions
40 60 80 100
20 0
Trial Q1
Trial Q2
Trial Q3
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY IMPACT
County works to apply voter-backed child care funds Travis County is working to implement the rst round of new funding under a tax increase for child care services voters approved in November. What’s happening
Rolling out services
Feb.-April 2025 County conducts community engagement May-June 2025 County analyzes input received Summer 2025 County to present input ndings, recruit advisory Council, implement short-term investments
The details County sta said $30 million could be used to expand current programs and new agreements with local school districts. Commissioners and advocates also shared concerns about addressing needs like infant and toddler care, and the slow pace of long-term planning for early childhood services. More than 5,000 children remain on the county’s child care subsidy waitlist.
Travis County Health and Human Services sta said a $75 million program meant to launch this summer is taking longer to implement. As vendor negotiations continue, sta recommended using a portion of initial tax revenue to grow capacity within existing partner programs.
Fall 2025 County to open solicitation for services
Dec. 2026 All ongoing contracts anticipated to be in e ect
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SOUTH CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION
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