AUSTIN — Nearly four months since Chief Brian Manley officially became the head of the Austin police force, he has finally rolled out his plan for moving the department forward.
With the dozens of people from various backgrounds moving to Austin, Chief Manley said he's confident that his department will live up to their new branding and motto.
"We can look at the history of Austin and see that the city was built along segregation," said Chief Manley. "Those days are long gone."
Diversity, inclusion and an increase in community policing are at the forefront for Chief Manley.
"It's important that we identify ourselves in the values of this department, the community and the city management," Chief Manley explained.
This vision is echoed by Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk.
"A few months earlier, the council directed the manager to look for the best practices in police oversight," said Cronk. "Those conversations have been going on and have been very productive and have been forthcoming."
Austin police launched the new website APDrecruiting.org.
The new website reveals their brand new motto of "One Austin, safer together."
"We are one Austin," Chief Manley said. "We need to ensure that we keep all of Austin safe."
Chief Manley said his goal is to break any boundary in the hiring process of new police officers, keeping in mind the safety of those who join the police force.
"We all know that a workforce that is wealthy in health is top performing," he said. "That's what we want to make sure to have but we also want to address the stresses we're exposed to in this career."
Chief Manley is hoping to build trust with the community the police department represents.
"When we look at our vision, we want to be trusted by all and make Austin the safest city of America," he said.
There are 60 vacancies in the Austin police force, and 94 cadets are currently in training.
Chief Manley said the department hopes to be close to the authorized strength level by the next cadet graduation.