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) |