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DIVISIONS

• Auto Theft Interdiction Unit
• Child Abuse Unit
• DWI Enforcement Team
• Family Violence Protection Team
• Financial Crimes Unit
• Gang Suppression Unit
• High Tech Crime Unit
• Homicide
• Homicide: Cold Case Unit
• Internal Affairs
• Integrity Crimes Unit
• Recruiting
• Sex Crimes Unit
• Special Events Unit
• Victim Services

AREA COMMANDS

• Northwest Area Command
• North Central Area Command
• Northeast Area Command
• Central West Area Command
• Central East Area Command
• GDowntown Area Command
• Southwest Area Command
• South Central Area Command
• Southeast Area Command

Office of the Community Liaison

The police department has divided the City into nine Area Commands. Liaisons work in each of these nine areas as requested by the officers or residents. Outreach efforts include Safety Fairs where safety and health information is presented in a festive atmosphere that allows residents to interact positively with the police officers assigned to their neighborhoods. Town Hall Meetings called to address specific issues when the needs arises; individual projects with officers and with neighborhood associations to address long or short -term problems. Visits to area businesses to provide information about how to contact the officers assigned to the area or the liaisons. School projects and presentations with the officers and independently to address such topics as safety, "Stranger Danger", and to participate in school fairs and festivals. Presentations to youth groups regarding job readiness, how to approach job interviews and complete applications. Finding meaningful ways to connect the officers and the residents and establish communication links and partnerships. Coordinating special events and celebrations for the officers and those we serve in Austin. These are only a few of the specific ways that liaisons work in the community and within the police department. To obtain more information, contact the Office of Community Liaison at 974-4700.

Programs and Outreach Activities of the Office of Community Liaison, Austin Police Department

Asian Outreach

The Asian population is a fast growing minority group in Central Texas. It is estimated that the Asian population in the greater Austin area is approximately 50,000 with the largest group being Vietnamese at around 25,000. The 2000 Census data, when released, will give us more reliable estimates. A Vietnamese was hired as a liaison in 1999 to begin outreach efforts to all of Austin's Asian residents. In addition to working closely with the Vietnamese community, the liaison has established a good working relationship with the Korean, Cambodian, Filipino, Chinese, Indian and other Asian community groups. Overcoming the ingrained cultural reluctance in many Asian nations to interact with police has been the focus of this effort. Great strides have been made and many significant events have brought the various Asian groups together with officers in a non-threatening environment. Additionally, work has been done with officers working in areas with a large Asian population to help address these same issues. A cultural diversity panel made up of representatives from several Asian groups has been formed to present diversity training to all new APD cadets. For more information on our Asian outreach programs, contact Lai Tran at 974-4737.

Chaplain Program

APD's chaplain program is a non-traditional program designed to meet the needs of officers and civilian employees and to help officers become more familiar with the districts in which they work. A major benefit of this program will be to provide an opportunity for those officers and other employees who are interested to become connected with a member of our faith community who wishes to be of service to APD. We currently have 18 volunteer chaplains with an additional group ready to be trained in April. The chaplains are volunteers, recruited from all faiths and denominations across our multi-ethnic, multi-cultural community. The volunteer chaplains participate in ride-alongs with patrol officers, conduct invocations on appropriate occasions, provide counseling when specifically requested, visit sick or injured officers and other employees and provide community input. The chaplains are another resource to the officers and employees in time of need and the program is designed to work with and complement our excellent APD divisions of Victim Services and Psychological Services. The chaplains assist other law enforcement agencies when officers are injured or killed in the line of duty. At no time do the chaplains use their volunteer status to try and convert anyone to their religion or to gain membership in their congregations. For additional information about the chaplain program, please contact Mario Renteria, Office of Community Liaison, 974-4735.

Chief's Forum

The Chief's Forum, facilitated by the Office of Community Liaison, is comprised of elected representatives from each of the six area commands. These representatives meet with the Chief of Police on a quarterly basis to discuss concerns and receive information about matters pertaining to police operations. The forum members then provide this information to the neighborhood associations within their area commands. This is a valuable resource providing communication and partnerships between the police department and the community. Forum members participate in area activities and encourage their neighborhood associations to join them. For more information contact Yolanda Buchman at 974-4719.

Faith Community Network

The Office of Community Liaison has created a Faith Community Network comprised of congregations and organizations from across the City. These faith-based organizations have come together with us to address the needs of two vulnerable segments of our population: youth and the elderly.

Services to Youth - the outreach efforts target at-risk juvenile and their families who are identified by church members, staff or police officers. The goal is to provide an array of services to the youth of our community to address the root causes of juvenile crime. Congregations are not asked to create new programs unless they so desire, but rather to provide access to their existing services to a wider array of youth in need of assistance. Network members provide quality activities for youth during their free time to encourage self-sufficiency and leadership skills. The network provides a structure to identify current resources and develop additional resources and as a result provide the mechanism to refer at-risk youth and their families to existing faith-based programs quickly and efficiently. For more information contact David Porter at 974-4732.

Services to the Elderly - APD seeks to provide assistance to the elderly by encouraging the faith community to develop programs that link older adults with younger generations to the benefit of both. This empowers older adults to help each other through empathetic home visits; move older adults to share life experiences thereby nourishing their memories and easing the pain of chronic loneliness. In addition, more mobile older adults can help with home repair, lawn maintenance, personal security information, home security devices such as deadbolt locks and security lighting. S.A.L.T. is an active partner and valuable resource (see S.A.L.T. below in alphabetical order). Seniors registered for the network are eligible to receive weekly visits from a volunteer who will check on their well being. For more information on the Faith Community Network contact David Porter at 974-4732.

Immigrant Outreach

The immigrant outreach liaison works with recently immigrated Latino families. The liaison partners with neighborhood schools, churches and other organizations to provide civic education to recent immigrants, encouraging their participation in school and in police-related activities. Special emphasis is placed on organizing events held in the apartment complexes where large numbers of Latinos live. By going to the places where families and individuals live, we are able to introduce these individuals to police officers in a non-threatening environment and acquaint them with the laws and customs as they differ from those in Mexico. Safety fairs and workshops showcase the variety of community resources available to enhance safety and the sense of well being. Contact Manuel Renteria at 974-4735 for more information.

Phone Tree

A list of community, church, civic and business leaders is maintained by the Office of Community Liaison. In the event of a critical incident, we are able to activate the phone tree within a short period of time and disseminate accurate and timely information about the incident to our phone tree partners. A copy of any press release is provided to our partners and each if asked to contact other community members to share this information. These community leaders are the people we interact with on a regular basis to work together to make Austin the safest major city in the United States. For more information, contact the Office of Community Liaison at 974-4700.

S.A.L.T. (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together)

The S.A.L.T. Council was formed in 1996 as part of the national organization known as TRIAD. The TRIAD consists of the police departments, the sheriff's office and representatives of senior citizen groups in a county. The Travis County S.A.L.T. Council is the advisory arm of the TRIAD. S.A.L.T. members meet monthly to discuss law enforcement issues of interest to the senior community. Members accompanied by a police officer also make presentations to senior citizen groups about crime prevention and how to obtain further information. An important component is educating seniors about scams and other illegal schemes directed at this often-vulnerable segment of our population. A community liaison is a member of the S.A.L.T. Council and provides support and information to the Council as well as participating in scheduled activities. For more information about S.A.L.T. or to schedule a presentation, contact Susie Mather-Ashford at the Office of Community Liaison at 974-4700.

Volunteer Program - Volunteers in Policing (VIP)

There are approximately 400 individuals who volunteer their time and talents to work with the Austin Police Department. Some are graduates of the Citizens Police Academy who, among other things, participate in the practical exercises with all cadet classes. The other groups of volunteers (VIPs) work in a number of capacities throughout the department. There are clerical volunteers who assume a large portion of the administrative duties in some area. There are over 60 VIPs who write citations to people who park illegally in disabled parking spaces. VIPs also tag abandoned vehicles on the city streets. In the last year, these VIPs have tagged 1877 vehicles that were abandoned along the public right-of-way. There are a variety of other volunteer opportunities available. Contact Yolanda Buchman at 974-4719 for more information.

Youth Diversion Center

The Youth Diversion Center is a cooperative effort between the Austin Police Department and the Austin Area Urban League. APD receives grant funds from the criminal justice division of the Governor's Office and contracts with the Urban League to provide services to youth who receive "Class C" misdemeanor citations. The program is designed to "divert" the youth onto a more positive path and prevent further involvement with the criminal justice system. The program has graduated approximately 600 youth in its two years in operation. A liaison is assigned to work with the Youth Diversion Center and ensure that the appropriate referrals are made and to do follow-up on the progress and success. Additionally, this liaison works with the officers of the Youth Services Division of APD providing services as needed to youth and their families who have more serious involvement in criminal activity. For more information on the Youth Diversion Center, contact Nick Medina at 974-6277.

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