AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Reaction continues to be mixed, one day after City of Austin leaders decided to suspend a controversial partnership between the Austin Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
DPS, in a brief statement posted to Twitter on Wednesday, said it would "continue patrol operations" in the city as "part of its responsibility to protect and serve Texas."
Although DPS has statewide jurisdiction, the partnership between the two agencies - dubbed the Austin Violent Crimes Task Force - had DPS troopers coordinating with APD's command structure and dispatch.
Much like the original announcement of the partnership, Wednesday's decision to suspend it appears to have been made without much input beyond Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and interim city manager Jesus Garza.
District 6 City Councilwoman Mackenzie Kelly, speaking on Talk 1370's "Cardle & Woolley" Thursday morning, said she found out about the partnership being discontinued only after the city sent out a press release.
"This was not a decision that I was included in - and just the day before, I had a rare day where I was at three separate events and I got to see the mayor throughout my day," Kelly said. "Not once did he mention this to me. We as a city voted against the strong mayor form of government. There is no reason why my vote does not count as much as his vote does. I am very disappointed that he made this decision without consulting with the rest of the council."
Kelly said the partnership with DPS is "critical" as APD continues to deal with a significant staffing shortage.
"We are short 333 officers right now - that's how many hard vacancies we have right now," Kelly said. "The silver lining here is that DPS is staying, and they're not required to come before the Austin City Council in order to continue to protect and serve the community."
[shortcode-inline-related expand="1" link="/talk1370/news/local/austin-suspends-partnership-with-texas-dps" headline="City of Austin suspends partnership with Texas DPS, says partnership must be "in sync with Austin values"" image="/media-library/image.jpg?id=64738548"]Thursday afternoon, Kelly requested Garza prepare a comprehensive report "outlining the decision-making process and factors considered" in suspending the partnership, a topic that Kelly intends to bring up at the next meeting of the council's Public Safety Committee on August 7.
Other Council members shared their support of the partnership's suspension in posts on Twitter, although most were made before the DPS body camera video refuting the story of the gun being pointed at the 10-year old became public.
District 4's Chito Vela called it the "right decision," saying "policing in Austin must be aligned with our community values."
District 2's Vanessa Fuentes emphasized that the partnership "needs to CEASE, not just suspend."
After the DPS video became public, Watson reiterated his support for pulling the partnership. "The suspension of the agreement was the right decision."
Wednesday's decision appeared to have come quickly, even for members of APD. Chief Joseph Chacon, according to an email sent to the force early Wednesday afternoon, said he had been notified "a short time ago."
