AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police are still seeing a major staffing shortage in their department. To combat some of the issues, the Austin City Council has approved bringing on what it calls a "police reserve force."
This police reserve force will be used mainly during special events to help fill in gaps. But as the resolution is written now, Police Chief Joseph Chacon will also have the right to call this team in any time he feels necessary.
According to KVUE's media partners at the Austin American-Statesman, the reserve force will be made up of retired police officers and could have up to 75 members. Members of the force will only be able to act in a supplementary capacity to regular officers and wouldn't be able to assume full-time duties.
Councilmember Mackenzie Kelly (District 6) said the Austin Police Department (APD) has around 330 vacancies right now, so this could do a lot address immediate staffing concerns.
"I believe that by initiating this program tomorrow, we will be in a better place public safety-wise – not just for the community during special events, but also for people visiting the city. As it stands now, when we have special events, officers are taken out of other parts of the city or they have to work overtime for those positions, which is taxing," Kelly said.
Kelly also noted these officers will all have to be certified by the State of Texas and will have all of their certifications reviewed before they become part of the reserve team.
"This program specifically is just for special events. And so, the officers in the reserve program will be working barricades. They'll be trained back up to where they need to be. All of their certifications will be reviewed prior to them entering this program," Kelly said.
She said a program like this is a good one but things like police retention, recruitment and morale still need to be addressed with a four-year contract with the police union.
Councilmembers approved creating the force at their meeting on Thursday. The force will be in place for two years, unless the council decides to extend it.