AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) is getting one step closer to its goal of being fully staffed, thanks to a new 54-member cadet class that graduated on Friday.
APD still has around 350 vacancies but added 92 new officers this year and only lost 80.
“We’re actually going to be ending the year with more officers than we starting with, and it’s probably going to be the first time in about five years that that’s happening,” Interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson said.
It’s also the first class of cadets to graduate under new police chief Lisa Davis. She is still getting her state certification but had a front row seat to the cadets' graduation from an academy that has recently undergone many changes.
“It’s really given me an opportunity to evaluate the academy, somewhat, the instructors and the curriculum. It’s very impressive,” Davis said.
Davis said the academy is similar to what she saw in Cincinnati training-wise, but what sets Austin apart is the “world-class” instructors.
“It’s just a really great group of people that are passing that knowledge on, and I think they’re very lucky to have that knowledge base that was just world class. It really is,” Davis said.
A few years ago, a third-party Kroll report showed that the academy needed to change its focus from a harsher militarized style to more emphasis on de-escalation tactics. The report also said the academy needed to add more anti-racism training.
Davis said there are no major changes she wants to make to the academy right now, but it’s something she’ll keep an eye on moving forward.
“I really want to be thoughtful, and I want to really look and see what’s going on,” Davis said. “You have some very dedicated staff there, and so I feel very fortunate with that. And if there’s changes I do want to make, it’s going to be a seamless transition.”
Now with an improved academy and more permanent leadership, Davis is hoping that will get more cadets on board.
“I think getting a contract in place and having a new police chief, having a new city manager, all those things add to boosting morale and how we move forward. So I think they will help recruit for us,” Davis said.
It’s something many of these cadets are hopeful to see.
“Every time new leadership comes in, they bring a different perspective on how to do things and kind of carry on the traditions and build a new plan, so I’m very excited to see what she has in store for us,” cadet Deshawnte Taylor said.
The next set of cadets will graduate in March. So far, there are 39 people signed up, but there’s still time for that number to change.