AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: Shortly after the publication of this story, the City of Austin suspended the Austin Police Department's partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Austin's Public Safety Commission has new recommendations for the police department's partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
The commission voted earlier this week to approve a recommendation for the city council to create a plan to govern the partnership. The commission called for significant community engagement and guidelines for the partnership, including defining its goals, time periods, accountability, data sharing, reporting and expectations.
The commission said it wants transparency.
"The most important thing we can do as a community is to have trust between the community and the police. And if we don't get that transparency with DPS, something has to change," one commission member said.
Two members of the commission did not vote, stating that there were not enough specifics about the call for community engagement. They also wanted a clear timeline for implementation.
The commission's recommendation now heads to the city council.
In March, the Austin Police Department formed a partnership with DPS because of staffing shortages. The partnership was announced on March 27, but was put on hold in mid-May when DPS troopers were temporarily reassigned to patrol the Texas-Mexico border.
The partnership resumed earlier this month.