The Austin Police Department (APD) is committed to ensuring the safety of our community. Recent changes in policy and procedures have left some members of the public, downtown businesses, and others with questions about how APD responds. The intent of this information is to answer those questions.
- When should someone call 911?
- When there is an imminent threat to life or property
- When there is an injury that requires immediate medical attention or there is an injury stemming from an assault, regardless of the timeframe
- When a suspect involved in a crime is on scene of the incident or within sight
Important: If you are unsure whether to call 911 or 311, you should call 911 and let a trained operator route the call appropriately.
- What should community members expect from APD?
- Patrol officer response to all calls involving an imminent threat to life or property
- Patrol officer response to all calls involving domestic/family disturbances (verbal or physical), regardless of timeframe including Violations of Protective Orders
- Community members may submit offense reports via Austin 311 or online via iReportAustin.com
- Detectives review all crime reports for investigative leads, and investigate cases with viable leads. If the reports do not have viable investigative leads, detectives will notify the complainant that there are no leads and will suspend the report.
- Each report will be reviewed with attention given to:
- The nature and seriousness of the behavior or offense;
- The reliable and objective evidence available to the responding officer; and
- Other factors including:
- Video availability
- Written sworn testimony of witness
- Pecuniary loss statement (receipt showing value of item)
- When will officers make an on-scene arrest?
- Many variables factor into the officer’s decision to make an arrest, including:
- The nature and seriousness of the criminal offense;
- The reliable and objective evidence available to the responding officer; and
- Other factors including:
- Whether the suspect has warrants;
- Whether the offense is eligible for a citation; and
- Whether the suspect voluntarily complies with an officer’s attempt to mitigate the situation, if appropriate
- Why isn’t an arrest being made?
- It is important to understand when an officer can make a lawful, warrantless arrest
- Offense must occur in the officer’s presence or within the officer’s view, unless the offense is a felony
- For misdemeanor offenses, if the officer can properly identify the individual, cease the conduct, and gain voluntary compliance, issuing a citation is the least intrusive and preferred alternative
- It is important to understand when an officer can make a lawful, warrantless arrest
*We understand confusion can arise in the public when people call the police in two similar situations, but receive different responses based on factors not visible to the public. The public may not know right away why a person is being arrested. For example, an arrest may occur because of warrants or because they do not meet the qualifications for a field release citation.
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- Camping is a Class “C” misdemeanor. Unless there is an imminent threat to health and safety, the following requirements are necessary prior to issuing a citation:
- Officer must advise the person of a lawful, alternative place to camp
- Contact whenever appropriate, a resource or other services that would reduce the likelihood of the person continuing to camp in a public place
- Camping is a Class “C” misdemeanor. Unless there is an imminent threat to health and safety, the following requirements are necessary prior to issuing a citation:
Thank you for taking an active interest in helping keep our Austin community safe.