See a breakdown of disciplinary actions the Austin Police Department (APD) made in 2019 and 2020. This table shows the level of discipline, number of officers disciplined, and General Orders policy violations.


Table: APD Disciplinary Actions in 2019 and 2020

In 2019, 200 individual APD officers received discipline. In some instances, officers were disciplined for more than one policy violation. During this period, officers were disciplined most often for violations of equipment policies, field operations and custody, response to resistance and pursuit, field response, investigations, and personnel policies.

In 2020, 159 individual officers received discipline. In some instances, officers were disciplined for more than one policy violation. During this period, officers were most often disciplined for violating field operations and custody policies, equipment policies, personnel policies, response to resistance and pursuit policies, field response, investigations, and reporting policies.

Levels of discipline can vary for even the same policy violation. An example of this is General Order 301.2 Impartial Attitude and Courtesy, for which APD determined and issued decisions of both indefinite suspension and oral reprimand. Indefinite suspensions are the highest level of discipline and oral reprimands are one of the lowest levels of discipline.

Year Level of Discipline APD Issued Number of APD Officers Disciplined Related Policy Violations
2019 Demotion 1

Organizational structure and responsibility

Neglect of duty

2019 Education-based discipline (pending)  3

Initial response and investigation

Department issued body-worn digital worn during recording

Crash reports

Impartial attitude and courtesy

Detentions

General operation of department vehicles

2020 Education-based discipline (pending) 16

Initial response and investigation

Neglect of duty

Report writing

Use of force to seize evidence

Application of the Taser device

Pursuit guidelines

Personal conduct

Determining the objective reasonableness of force

Safe handling of firearms

Impartial attitude and courtesy

General operation of department vehicles

2019 Indefinite suspension 3

Privacy and security records

Impartial attitude and courtesy

Responsibility to know and comply

Acts bringing discredit upon the department

Prohibited associations

Requirements of duty

Responsibility to know and comply

Honesty

Cooperating with assigned investigators

Officer responsibility to report

2020 Indefinite suspension 1

Impartial attitute and courtesy

Acts bringing discredit upon the department

Responsibility to co-workers

2019 Oral reprimand 85

General operation of department vehicles

Property and evidence collection procedures

General provisions

Impartial attitude and courtesy 

Policy

Handling lost, stolen, and damaged property

Smoking/tobacco use

Requirements of duty

Department issued body-worn digital recording

Responsibility to the community

Personal conduct

Crash investigation

Sick Leave

Equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination

Vehicle inventory

Incidents requiring a city officer

Miranda warning

2020 Oral reprimand 45

General operation of department vehicles

Initial response and investigation

Personal conduct

When department issued BWC system use is required

Off-duty law enforcement actions

Vehicle inventory

Impartial attitude and courtesy

Crash investigation

Handcuffing detainees

Department technology use

Report of use

Customer service and community relations

Requirements of duty

Racial or bias-based profiling policy

Primary unit responsibilities

Storage of firearms

Responsibilities to co-workers

2019 Suspension 16

Assault victim statement 

Victim information

Evidence collection and photographs

Emergency protective orders

Civil standby

Required information

Reporting guidelines

Neglect of Duty

Insubordination

Body-worn digital recording systems

Digital mobile audio-video recording

Acts bringing discredit upon the department

Responsibility to know and comply

Required reporting of violations

Prohibited speech, expression and conduct

Required reporting

Response to resistance

Impartial attitude and courtesy

Personal conduct

Peace officer emergency commitment

General operation of department vehicles

When to terminate a pursuit 

Personal conduct

2020 Suspension 21

Secure and identify witnesses

Arrest requirement for assaultive offenses

Family violence involving mental illness

Neglect of duty

When department issued BWC system use is required

Department issued body-worn camera

Mobile data computer use guidelines

Digital mobile audio-video recording

Required reporting

General operation of department vehicles

De-escalation of potential force encounters

Use of the Taser device

General conduct

Records retention

Personal conduct

Responsibility to co-workers

Body-worn digital recording systems

Radio and mobile data computer use

Responsibility to the community, purpose, and scope

Impartial attitude and courtesy

Initial response and investigation

Incident reporting and documentation, general guidelines

Harassment

Supervisor's role

Responsibility to know and comply

Acts bringing discredit upon the department

Political activities, endorsements, and advertisements

APD incident reporting

Towing situations

Factors to consider before initiating a pursuit

When to terminate a pursuit

Pursuit driving considerations and restrictions

Limitation on LERE hours worked

Required reporting of overtime and LERE hours worked

2019 Written reprimand 92

General operation of department vehicles

Restrictions on vehicle pursuits

Pursuit guidelines

Prohibited speech, expression, and conduct

Impartial attitude and courtesy

Responsibility to co-workers

General attendance guidelines

Evidence processing and submission

Storage of firearms

Privacy and security of records

Penalties for misuse of records

Property and evidence collection procedures

Neglect of duty

Pursuit considerations and restrictions

When to terminate a pursuit

Timesheets

General attendance guidelines

When department issued BWDR system is required

Required classification of DMAV recordings

Initial response and investigation

Department response to body-worn digital recording

Required DMAV testing

Safe handling of firearms

Parking of department vehicles 

Secondary employment qualification and application process

Body-worn digital recording systems

Secondary employment

Incident reporting and documentation

Assessment and de-escalation

Incidents of personal interest

Policy

Department vehicles

Use of the Taser device

Report writing

Arrest requirement for assaultive offenses

Secondary employment application packets

Prohibited types of secondary employment

Other records

Review of all BWDR system recordings

Review of DMAV system recordings

Responsibility to know and comply

Miranda warning and admissibility

Reporting of unintentional firearm discharge while at the APD firearms range

Application of the Taser device

Special deployment considerations

Low-speed intervention

Crash reports

Search incident to arrest

Factors to consider before initiating a pursuit

Primary unit responsibilities

2020 Written reprimands 76

General operation of department vehicles

Incident reporting and documentation

Personal conduct

Submitting narcotics and narcotic paraphernalia

Restrictions on vehicle pursuits

Vehicle pursuits

When department issued BWC system use is required

Consensual encounters

Prohibited use of email

 Assessment and de-escalation

Impartial attitude and courtesy

Towing situations

Review of all BWDR system recordings

Prohibited uses of department technology

General conduct of responsibilities, purpose, and scope

Pursuit guidelines

Handcuffing detainees

Officer responsibility to report

Documenting DMAV system use

Crash investigation

Crash reports

When DMAV use is required

Emergency response and vehicle operation 

Privacy and security of records

Low-speed intervention

Responsibility to know and comply

Required reporting of violations 

Storage of firearms

Authority and accountability

Externally initiated complaints 

Limitation on LERE hours worked

Search protocol

Safe handling of firearms

StarChase Pursuit Management System

Code 2 (limited emergency operation)