Austin Votes Against More Police In Prop A: Election Results

Austin TX

02 November, 2021

10:14 PM

Description

The city of Austin has voted against the city's proposed amendment to establish minimum police staffing and require there to be at least two police officers for every 1,000 residents, according to unofficial election 2021 results. Proposition A took center stage in Tuesday's city election, giving residents the voice to decide whether or not the city should add more police officers to its department. The vote was 31.12 percent in favor and 68.88 percent against, according to the Travis County Clerk's office election data. RELATED: Austin Election 2021 Results: Polls Close Live in Austin? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and download our free mobile app on Android or iPhone. If the proposed amendment passed, the city would be required to add 40 hours of police training each year on topics like active shooter scenarios, defense tactics and mandate that 35 percent of an officer's shift must be spent on uncommitted time — often referred to as community engagement time— and not in responding to calls. To ensure that shifts are adequately staffed under Prop A's time provision, the city would have had to staff a ratio of police to citizens somewhere between 2.1 per 1,000 and 2.5 per 1,000. To accomplish that, the city estimates it would've had to hire 403 to 885 more officers in the next five years. That would cost Austin approximately $271.5 million to $598.8 million over five years, according to an estimate from Austin's Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo. The estimate is in addition to the Austin Police Department budget of $442 million the city council approved for 2021-2022. It is unclear where that money would come from, however, Mayor Steve Adler and some Austin City Council members have suggested that the city might have to cut funding for other departments, including Austin Fire, to fund Prop A. The ballot measure has been a popular topic for residents and made many expect the race to come down to the wire. As a result, the political action committees on both sides of the vote worked tirelessly over the past few months to encourage voters to vote in their favor. Save Austin Now, the local PAC that helped get Austin's Camping Ban approved in May, collected signatures back in August to get the police staffing measure on the Nov. 2 ballot. The committee has raised over a million dollars to campaign for Prop A, according to their own reports. Co-founder Matt Mackowiak said the group wasn't able to "save Austin tonight," but they will. Mackowiak and other Save Austin Now members gathered together on Tuesday for a watch party to see live results come in. "In the end, they (Austinites) were convinced by the other side that this is something the city cannot afford, that this is something the city doesn't need and that everything is fine," Mackowiak said. "Everything is not fine. But we're going to hold the other side accountable who've agreed with us that there aren't enough officers on the streets and that we need more training." The counter campaign No Way on Prop A spent weeks of organizing to defeat Prop A. Since its inception in August, the coalition grew with support from more than 115 organizations, 39 elected officials and more than 200 individuals. "Tonight is a victory for the safety of all Austinites, and for our democracy. Prop A was an irresponsible ballot measure that would have forced Austin to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more on the police department by cutting funding from other essential city services," said Laura Hernandez Holmes, campaign manager for No Way on Prop A. "No Way on Prop A built one of the largest and most diverse groups in the history of Austin politics and together, our coalition exposed the truth about Prop A by cutting through the persistent lies from Republican-front group Save Austin Now. "We know that the safest cities have more resources, not more police. Our coalition members will continue to push back on misinformation and propaganda, and support comprehensive, community-focused approaches to public safety." Austin Mayor Steve Adler, who strongly opposed Prop A, said Austinites showed up and rejected the proposition on Tuesday. "This election reaffirms our community's belief that public safety for all requires a comprehensive system that includes properly staffing our police, but also our fire, EMS, and mental health responses as well," Adler said in a statement Tuesday evening. "At our core, we are an innovative, caring and creative community. We see that yet again in this election and that makes me proud to live in this magical place." City Councilman Greg Casar said Tuesday Austin "overwhelmingly" opposed Prop A, which "would have decimated the City's budget and harmed public safety." "Austin answered overwhelmingly tonight: we believe in criminal justice reform. We believe in comprehensive public safety — not simply putting poor and working class people behind bars," Casar said in a statement Tuesday. "Tonight's results show that Austinites have rejected right-wing division and are marching forward for progressive change. Our city will continue to fight for comprehensive public safety, civil rights, and a better city for all." Other local officials who opposed Prop A were Travis County Judge Andy Brown, almost all of Austin City Council, Congressman Lloyd Doggett and District 50 Rep. Celia Israel. Aside from local officials, it was the overwhelming opposition from the Austin Firefighters Association and Austin EMS Association that turned heads this election. In October, AFA president Bob Nicks said Save Austin Now co-founder Matt Mackowiak was trying to "manipulate" the association voting process. RELATED: Austin Firefighters Association Opposes Proposition A "Firefighters love and support our police officers, but don't be mislead," Nicks said. "The Austin Police Department has the available funds to hire 229-300 police office officers today ...They have a hiring problem, not a funding problem. We would suggest that they hire more officers as soon as possible." With the proposition not passing, it remains unclear what the city's plan is to help aid Austin police, who are largely understaffed, on the streets.